I missed you! It's been a while since I posted on the forums and I'm not sure that I've ever posted somewhere outside the homebrew warehouse where I live. Recently my Pureblood Vampire subclass for the sorcerer reached over 2,000 adds. Now, at 2 fangs per vampire that's at least 4,000 fangs and each vampire can make even more spawn that I can't keep track of so there must be a ton of work out there for Vampire dentists!!! I digress, I am floored by the support I've been given by the community in creating characters with my subclass.
I've had two players with Pureblood characters. My wife played an ancient Pureblood Vampire named Anares Zinnawood. She loved turning into a bat and milked all the sympathy she could with her bit cute little bat eyes. The players embraced her in their party as they set out to save the city of Vadaam from a vampire invasion (these ones were born out of a wild vampiric disease but the army was led by a rival Pureblood Vampire called the Red Queen. Over the course of the campaign another player was given the gift of Pureblood. His character was an assassin from the order of the Blood Soaked Tree. Jorah Blackwater loved the power he now had and was able to learn that his bloodline once held the Pureblood gift and were a ruling class. Jorah used his new vampiric skills to evolve even more as an assassin. The two live on to this day somewhere in the region of Tal'Endar, well after the campaign that brought them together was brought to a close.
Now I am heading into a new campaign with new players and I really want to know about YOUR characters. Tell me about your Pureblood Vampires! I'll try to keep up as much as I can and after we've got a decent amount of stories in here I'm going to choose one to live in my world of Agarra for this new campaign. So in a way you're both telling me your story and helping write a new one! I can't wait to see what you guys have been making!
PS: I'm planning this post as a series so be on the lookout for more like this. You'll need a quick trigger finger for the next one!
Vampirism is a curse. Nobody got bit by a radioactive bat that gave them superpowers. No matter how much good they may want to do, the curse is going to corrupt them and drive them to do evil. And it all starts with that first, yummy walking lunchable in a skin suit.
Vampirism is a curse. Nobody got bit by a radioactive bat that gave them superpowers. No matter how much good they may want to do, the curse is going to corrupt them and drive them to do evil. And it all starts with that first, yummy walking lunchable in a skin suit.
LOL, I use 3 versions of vamperism. The gift, the curse, and the virus in my world. The gift is what my Pureblood Vampire subclass represents. The curse is your typical sanguine demi-chad in frilly clothes, no mirrors, needs permission to enter, garlic, stakes, aversion to water etc. The Virus is more feral, total bloodlust, superhuman strength. The Purebloods were the first, when their kingdom fell into ruin the bloodline was split into the poor copies that exist today.
For me the "Pureblood" (aka Vampire Lord) is some mortal that did something so abhorrent that they were given (sometimes voluntarily) the vampire curse as divine/infernal punishment. (In the case of Strahd the Dark Powers did it for the lols.) Their victims get the second hand curse. Misery does love company.
I tend to think of vampires the way I think of baked potatoes: they should be paired with stake.
Seriously, though, the dhampir already exists, I think that's enough for players who want to be vampires. A vampire sorcerer subclass is redundant (especially since this one gets a lot more stuff than standard subclasses).
In my games, there is no such thing as a free-willed undead.
The driving force in an undead isn't a person, in the way that the living being was. The undead has only fragments, only pain and suffering - it doesn't have any memories of good things, only bad. It doesn't remember love, only in terms of loss and jealousy and hate and anger and so on.
As such, undead do not have any ambitions to conquer the world, or any such thing. They're deeply 'personal' things, unable to relate to much of anything outside of themselves. No one would ever chose undeath in my games - with the possible exception of liches, which is a topic I'm still ... formulating.
I guess liches get lured in, and don't really realise the existance that awaits them.
Undeath is literally hell. It's eternal torture, and true death is the only possible escape - well, that or potentially ressurrection.
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Blanket disclaimer: I only ever state opinion. But I can sound terribly dogmatic - so if you feel I'm trying to tell you what to think, I'm really not, I swear. I'm telling you what I think, that's all.
A spin that isn't all that original but interesting to look at from a vampire perspective is to build a campaign around the sun and the living being as evil as we traditionally see the dead. Straight swap. The evil warmongering sun god and his legions of the living plundering the lands of the Underdark. Can you be the one to stop their https://xender.vip/ evil merciless advance? Can you finally do what vampire have fought to do for millennia? Can you blot out the sun for good?
Technically not vampires in the classic or D&D sense; but one world of mine has some cold-blooded beings that are, in effect, heat energy vampires.
They are small, around 25lbs, neutral, average intelligence, highly charismatic and attractive in a "cute" way, and they appear to be benign. They are attracted to warm places, and warm creatures, and will agree to work for those who offer them warmth. This lends them to becoming effective, willing house servants, once trained for the task. Cool conditions slow them down significantly, and cold conditions will force them into hibernation.
The problem occurs when the PC/NPC is the only source of warmth; they are compelled to stay close, direct contact preferred ["I'm so cold, please hold me."], and will draw heat energy from their host. Over time, the host will suffer hypothermia, and eventually death, if the contact lasts long enough. Multiple creatures stacks the effect.
More of a game flavor creature, than an intentionally dangerous encounter. In a random cold weather encounter, they might be found clinging to a recently dead, rapidly cooling humanoid or other warm body, their eyes piteously looking to the PC(s) for help. If found in a warm location, they are extremely reluctant to leave it, if the surrounding environment is cold.
A spin that isn't all that original but interesting to look at from a vampire perspective is to build a campaign around the sun and the living being as evil as we traditionally see the dead. Straight swap. The evil warmongering sun god and his legions of the living plundering the lands of the Underdark. Can you be the one to stop their evil merciless advance? Can you finally do what vampire have fought to do for millennia? Can you blot out the sun for good?
This is such an interesting idea, kind of reminds me of Darksiders a bit. Never thought to literally flip the roles so far before. I wonder how we’d deal with the vampire’s food source as a result of the flip?
Technically not vampires in the classic or D&D sense; but one world of mine has some cold-blooded beings that are, in effect, heat energy vampires.
They are small, around 25lbs, neutral, average intelligence, highly charismatic and attractive in a "cute" way, and they appear to be benign. They are attracted to warm places, and warm creatures, and will agree to work for those who offer them warmth. This lends them to becoming effective, willing house servants, once trained for the task. Cool conditions slow them down significantly, and cold conditions will force them into hibernation.
The problem occurs when the PC/NPC is the only source of warmth; they are compelled to stay close, direct contact preferred ["I'm so cold, please hold me."], and will draw heat energy from their host. Over time, the host will suffer hypothermia, and eventually death, if the contact lasts long enough. Multiple creatures stacks the effect.
More of a game flavor creature, than an intentionally dangerous encounter. In a random cold weather encounter, they might be found clinging to a recently dead, rapidly cooling humanoid or other warm body, their eyes piteously looking to the PC(s) for help. If found in a warm location, they are extremely reluctant to leave it, if the surrounding environment is cold.
This is such a wild idea. What is the race called? When you say heat energy, do you mean to say that they get their energy by stealing other’s and this affects both parties temperature OR does any heat source work?
I tend to think of vampires the way I think of baked potatoes: they should be paired with stake.
Seriously, though, the dhampir already exists, I think that's enough for players who want to be vampires. A vampire sorcerer subclass is redundant (especially since this one gets a lot more stuff than standard subclasses).
Technically not vampires in the classic or D&D sense; but one world of mine has some cold-blooded beings that are, in effect, heat energy vampires.
. . .
This is such a wild idea. What is the race called? When you say heat energy, do you mean to say that they get their energy by stealing other’s and this affects both parties temperature OR does any heat source work?
They’re so cool, I’d love to know more.
I call them Imp-lizards. Small, cute, highly charismatic [not true Charm, but one kinda wants to help it/take care of it], very stealthy. They have a roughly 300 year life span [feel free to grant them immortality, if you wish]. Speed 30. They have their own language [sounds like clicks, squeaks, and whistles], and any other appropriate languages. I see them as bipedal, short tailed, short horned, smooth scaled reptilians, who vaguely resemble human-leaning kobolds. I have not established their AC, HP, etc, for this system. Feel free to adjust the numbers to fit your encounter. Feel free to describe their "cute" appearance as you see fit for your campaign.
These were originally developed for a different gaming system, in a non-magical world, and I have not yet converted them. In that world, supernatural effects do not apply, and they must also consume small quantities of food.
Let's just say that, in D&D game terms, they consume only heat energy. When I say heat energy, I mean they feed on thermal energy of any kind. Any heat source works. The creatures can touch a candle or lamp flame, and it will go out. A hot stone will quickly grow cold in their hands. A campfire will lose some intensity, as one or more of them approaches it.
Because, it consumes heat for fuel/food, the creature gains 1 degree of body heat for every 2 degrees lost by a body of a similar size [1/1 for medium creatures, 2/1 for large, etc]. If the ambient temperature of the environment is high enough, say 100F or 38C, to maintain their preferred body temperature, or an alternative, higher BTU (British Thermal Units) heat source is available, then they have no need to feed on warm creatures.
In a less than hot environment, with no other sources available, it must pull heat from a warm body, any available body, and will stealthily attempt to cozy up to that being. Once the creature's (rising) temperature reaches the same temperature as the host('s cooling) body, it stops feeding. By then, the warm-blooded host is usually dead.
The PC/NPC will feel somewhat chilled when one is within 5 feet, but take no damage. Per hour of direct contact, such as sharing a blanket, the PC/NPC will lose 6 hit point to cold damage [1hp every 10 minutes], and is hypothermic; the full hour is required for hypothermia. If the PC/NPC is asleep, they must make a Con save at DC16, or fail to wake for another hour(, taking more damage,and so on). Any outside stimulus will wake them normally. Obviously, anyone who is immune to cold damage will not be targeted by this creature, as the creature cannot pull heat from them. One with resistance will take the appropriate damage.
Because this creature feeds on thermal energy, it consumes the first 2D6 points of any form of heat damage, then takes damage normally from any remainder, due to it momentarily being "full". If the heat is magically generated, the creature heals 2D6 points of damage, then takes damage normally from any remainder. If there are multiple creatures within the area of effect, then the group of creatures consume 2D6 points damage, per individual [roll this once & multiply, subtract from total damage], before any remaining damage is taken by anyone within the area of effect; the same goes for healing from magical heat. It takes double damage from cold attacks, and normal damage from all other attacks.
If, when encountered, their body temperature is between 75F, 24C and 50F, 10C, they will behave as if under the effect of a slow spell. Between 49F, 9.5C and freezing, they will be found helpless, in a state of hibernation. If they freeze, they die. [Feel free to use this info, or not.]
As their history/biology could vary greatly, depending on the world setting, I'll leave that part up to y'all. They are not evil per se, but their powerful instinct to stay warm rules their existence. A Ring of Warmth, or similar magical item, would make an ideal gift/payment/bribe for an Imp-lizard, as that would keep one fed indefinitely.
Technically not vampires in the classic or D&D sense; but one world of mine has some cold-blooded beings that are, in effect, heat energy vampires.
. . .
This is such a wild idea. What is the race called? When you say heat energy, do you mean to say that they get their energy by stealing other’s and this affects both parties temperature OR does any heat source work?
They’re so cool, I’d love to know more.
I call them Imp-lizards. Small, cute, highly charismatic [not true Charm, but one kinda wants to help it/take care of it], very stealthy.
I kind of love them. If it's alright with you I'd love to steal the idea. I know they're more lizard like but I imagine them as small humanoid cat creatures. They just want to cuddle but really they're sapping your heat and killing you. World's most dangerous party member! Thank you so much for sharing, this is really cool stuff <3
Feel free to make use of whatever you want, and dump the rest. Enjoy the concept. Several of them could conceivably consume a fire dragon's breath weapon, then get stomped once the dragon figures it out. But in your case, anyway, it'd be like herding cats to get them there. ;)
Hey everyone, SkillCheck here.
I missed you! It's been a while since I posted on the forums and I'm not sure that I've ever posted somewhere outside the homebrew warehouse where I live. Recently my Pureblood Vampire subclass for the sorcerer reached over 2,000 adds. Now, at 2 fangs per vampire that's at least 4,000 fangs and each vampire can make even more spawn that I can't keep track of so there must be a ton of work out there for Vampire dentists!!! I digress, I am floored by the support I've been given by the community in creating characters with my subclass.
I've had two players with Pureblood characters. My wife played an ancient Pureblood Vampire named Anares Zinnawood. She loved turning into a bat and milked all the sympathy she could with her bit cute little bat eyes. The players embraced her in their party as they set out to save the city of Vadaam from a vampire invasion (these ones were born out of a wild vampiric disease but the army was led by a rival Pureblood Vampire called the Red Queen. Over the course of the campaign another player was given the gift of Pureblood. His character was an assassin from the order of the Blood Soaked Tree. Jorah Blackwater loved the power he now had and was able to learn that his bloodline once held the Pureblood gift and were a ruling class. Jorah used his new vampiric skills to evolve even more as an assassin. The two live on to this day somewhere in the region of Tal'Endar, well after the campaign that brought them together was brought to a close.
Now I am heading into a new campaign with new players and I really want to know about YOUR characters. Tell me about your Pureblood Vampires! I'll try to keep up as much as I can and after we've got a decent amount of stories in here I'm going to choose one to live in my world of Agarra for this new campaign. So in a way you're both telling me your story and helping write a new one! I can't wait to see what you guys have been making!
PS: I'm planning this post as a series so be on the lookout for more like this. You'll need a quick trigger finger for the next one!
Dungeon Master for Heroes of Agarra
I have a growing library of Homebrew: Subclasses | Races | Feats | Items
You check out my newest Homebrew: Doctor - The Survey Corps - Order of the Shadow Master
Full confession: I've never actually had a good vampire character in any of my campaigns. However, I still don't want to be boxed in. 😅
I don't have a point of reference my idea of a vampire is in the second edition monstrous manual i don't allow them as PC's
I think that's fair enough!
Dungeon Master for Heroes of Agarra
I have a growing library of Homebrew: Subclasses | Races | Feats | Items
You check out my newest Homebrew: Doctor - The Survey Corps - Order of the Shadow Master
Vampirism is a curse. Nobody got bit by a radioactive bat that gave them superpowers. No matter how much good they may want to do, the curse is going to corrupt them and drive them to do evil. And it all starts with that first, yummy walking lunchable in a skin suit.
LOL, I use 3 versions of vamperism. The gift, the curse, and the virus in my world. The gift is what my Pureblood Vampire subclass represents. The curse is your typical sanguine demi-chad in frilly clothes, no mirrors, needs permission to enter, garlic, stakes, aversion to water etc. The Virus is more feral, total bloodlust, superhuman strength. The Purebloods were the first, when their kingdom fell into ruin the bloodline was split into the poor copies that exist today.
Dungeon Master for Heroes of Agarra
I have a growing library of Homebrew: Subclasses | Races | Feats | Items
You check out my newest Homebrew: Doctor - The Survey Corps - Order of the Shadow Master
For me the "Pureblood" (aka Vampire Lord) is some mortal that did something so abhorrent that they were given (sometimes voluntarily) the vampire curse as divine/infernal punishment. (In the case of Strahd the Dark Powers did it for the lols.) Their victims get the second hand curse. Misery does love company.
I tend to think of vampires the way I think of baked potatoes: they should be paired with stake.
Seriously, though, the dhampir already exists, I think that's enough for players who want to be vampires. A vampire sorcerer subclass is redundant (especially since this one gets a lot more stuff than standard subclasses).
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
In my games, there is no such thing as a free-willed undead.
The driving force in an undead isn't a person, in the way that the living being was. The undead has only fragments, only pain and suffering - it doesn't have any memories of good things, only bad. It doesn't remember love, only in terms of loss and jealousy and hate and anger and so on.
As such, undead do not have any ambitions to conquer the world, or any such thing. They're deeply 'personal' things, unable to relate to much of anything outside of themselves. No one would ever chose undeath in my games - with the possible exception of liches, which is a topic I'm still ... formulating.
I guess liches get lured in, and don't really realise the existance that awaits them.
Undeath is literally hell. It's eternal torture, and true death is the only possible escape - well, that or potentially ressurrection.
Blanket disclaimer: I only ever state opinion. But I can sound terribly dogmatic - so if you feel I'm trying to tell you what to think, I'm really not, I swear. I'm telling you what I think, that's all.
A spin that isn't all that original but interesting to look at from a vampire perspective is to build a campaign around the sun and the living being as evil as we traditionally see the dead. Straight swap. The evil warmongering sun god and his legions of the living plundering the lands of the Underdark. Can you be the one to stop their https://xender.vip/ evil merciless advance? Can you finally do what vampire have fought to do for millennia? Can you blot out the sun for good?
Technically not vampires in the classic or D&D sense; but one world of mine has some cold-blooded beings that are, in effect, heat energy vampires.
They are small, around 25lbs, neutral, average intelligence, highly charismatic and attractive in a "cute" way, and they appear to be benign. They are attracted to warm places, and warm creatures, and will agree to work for those who offer them warmth. This lends them to becoming effective, willing house servants, once trained for the task. Cool conditions slow them down significantly, and cold conditions will force them into hibernation.
The problem occurs when the PC/NPC is the only source of warmth; they are compelled to stay close, direct contact preferred ["I'm so cold, please hold me."], and will draw heat energy from their host. Over time, the host will suffer hypothermia, and eventually death, if the contact lasts long enough. Multiple creatures stacks the effect.
More of a game flavor creature, than an intentionally dangerous encounter. In a random cold weather encounter, they might be found clinging to a recently dead, rapidly cooling humanoid or other warm body, their eyes piteously looking to the PC(s) for help. If found in a warm location, they are extremely reluctant to leave it, if the surrounding environment is cold.
This is such an interesting idea, kind of reminds me of Darksiders a bit. Never thought to literally flip the roles so far before. I wonder how we’d deal with the vampire’s food source as a result of the flip?
Dungeon Master for Heroes of Agarra
I have a growing library of Homebrew: Subclasses | Races | Feats | Items
You check out my newest Homebrew: Doctor - The Survey Corps - Order of the Shadow Master
This is such a wild idea. What is the race called? When you say heat energy, do you mean to say that they get their energy by stealing other’s and this affects both parties temperature OR does any heat source work?
They’re so cool, I’d love to know more.
Dungeon Master for Heroes of Agarra
I have a growing library of Homebrew: Subclasses | Races | Feats | Items
You check out my newest Homebrew: Doctor - The Survey Corps - Order of the Shadow Master
Well I’m certainly glad you got that out.
Dungeon Master for Heroes of Agarra
I have a growing library of Homebrew: Subclasses | Races | Feats | Items
You check out my newest Homebrew: Doctor - The Survey Corps - Order of the Shadow Master
I call them Imp-lizards. Small, cute, highly charismatic [not true Charm, but one kinda wants to help it/take care of it], very stealthy. They have a roughly 300 year life span [feel free to grant them immortality, if you wish]. Speed 30. They have their own language [sounds like clicks, squeaks, and whistles], and any other appropriate languages. I see them as bipedal, short tailed, short horned, smooth scaled reptilians, who vaguely resemble human-leaning kobolds. I have not established their AC, HP, etc, for this system. Feel free to adjust the numbers to fit your encounter. Feel free to describe their "cute" appearance as you see fit for your campaign.
These were originally developed for a different gaming system, in a non-magical world, and I have not yet converted them. In that world, supernatural effects do not apply, and they must also consume small quantities of food.
Let's just say that, in D&D game terms, they consume only heat energy. When I say heat energy, I mean they feed on thermal energy of any kind. Any heat source works. The creatures can touch a candle or lamp flame, and it will go out. A hot stone will quickly grow cold in their hands. A campfire will lose some intensity, as one or more of them approaches it.
Because, it consumes heat for fuel/food, the creature gains 1 degree of body heat for every 2 degrees lost by a body of a similar size [1/1 for medium creatures, 2/1 for large, etc]. If the ambient temperature of the environment is high enough, say 100F or 38C, to maintain their preferred body temperature, or an alternative, higher BTU (British Thermal Units) heat source is available, then they have no need to feed on warm creatures.
In a less than hot environment, with no other sources available, it must pull heat from a warm body, any available body, and will stealthily attempt to cozy up to that being. Once the creature's (rising) temperature reaches the same temperature as the host('s cooling) body, it stops feeding. By then, the warm-blooded host is usually dead.
The PC/NPC will feel somewhat chilled when one is within 5 feet, but take no damage. Per hour of direct contact, such as sharing a blanket, the PC/NPC will lose 6 hit point to cold damage [1hp every 10 minutes], and is hypothermic; the full hour is required for hypothermia. If the PC/NPC is asleep, they must make a Con save at DC16, or fail to wake for another hour(, taking more damage,and so on). Any outside stimulus will wake them normally. Obviously, anyone who is immune to cold damage will not be targeted by this creature, as the creature cannot pull heat from them. One with resistance will take the appropriate damage.
Because this creature feeds on thermal energy, it consumes the first 2D6 points of any form of heat damage, then takes damage normally from any remainder, due to it momentarily being "full". If the heat is magically generated, the creature heals 2D6 points of damage, then takes damage normally from any remainder. If there are multiple creatures within the area of effect, then the group of creatures consume 2D6 points damage, per individual [roll this once & multiply, subtract from total damage], before any remaining damage is taken by anyone within the area of effect; the same goes for healing from magical heat. It takes double damage from cold attacks, and normal damage from all other attacks.
If, when encountered, their body temperature is between 75F, 24C and 50F, 10C, they will behave as if under the effect of a slow spell. Between 49F, 9.5C and freezing, they will be found helpless, in a state of hibernation. If they freeze, they die. [Feel free to use this info, or not.]
As their history/biology could vary greatly, depending on the world setting, I'll leave that part up to y'all. They are not evil per se, but their powerful instinct to stay warm rules their existence. A Ring of Warmth, or similar magical item, would make an ideal gift/payment/bribe for an Imp-lizard, as that would keep one fed indefinitely.
I kind of love them. If it's alright with you I'd love to steal the idea. I know they're more lizard like but I imagine them as small humanoid cat creatures. They just want to cuddle but really they're sapping your heat and killing you. World's most dangerous party member! Thank you so much for sharing, this is really cool stuff <3
Dungeon Master for Heroes of Agarra
I have a growing library of Homebrew: Subclasses | Races | Feats | Items
You check out my newest Homebrew: Doctor - The Survey Corps - Order of the Shadow Master
Feel free to make use of whatever you want, and dump the rest. Enjoy the concept. Several of them could conceivably consume a fire dragon's breath weapon, then get stomped once the dragon figures it out. But in your case, anyway, it'd be like herding cats to get them there. ;)