I have a player that wants to become a vampire after learning a bit about them from an NPC i have that is a Vampire herself. I am all for this I just would like some input on a couple of their features
When it comes to them being in sunlight i know it says they have disadvantage in ability checks and attack rolls and they also take 20 radiant damage. What do you think the specifics are about this, do you all think that if the vampire wears appropriate clothing they could avoid these issues? I think a goofy, wide brimmed, heavy hat could fix this perhaps giving them a relief from the disadvantage but now not past like 30 feet or so. I just would like to hear how you all would approach this, I definitely am not giving the player all the features of a vampire outright though i have that part covered at least.
I don't believe clothing would prevent the problems of sunlight for a vampire, after all it is possible to get a sunburn through clothing in "real life".
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Perpetually annoyed that Eldritch Knights can't use Eldritch Blast, Eldritch Smite, and Eldritch Sight.
If they aren't getting full vampire powers, then it's probably ok to not give them full vampire weaknesses. Perhaps just use the Drow sunlight sensitivity, then consider adding Vulnerability to Radiant damage to represent the other side of it. Keeping track of damage in sunlight would be a bit of a nightmare.
Other advice is to ensure that they are also getting the non-mechanical disadvantages to being a vampire; primarily the fact that 80% of the general populace would be terrified of them if they discover the truth, and that the other 20% will try to destroy them on sight. Normal life is out of the question...
Clothes, sadly (or thankfully, depending on whether you're asking vampires or common folk) don't provide any relief from the vampire weakness to sunlight, unless a trait of the specific attire mentions so. In general, clothes do not give you full cover or total concealment from light.
Besides, I'd think that the most interesting parts of turning into a vampire is the first few nights, when you slowly but surely begin to realize you're a creature of the night now.
And if you want to make sure the PC doesn't accidentally kill themselves by finding themselves out in the open when dawn comes, I suggest someone invests in a means to cast Darkness. It will give them time to think or utilize other options of survival or escape.
If they aren't getting full vampire powers, then it's probably ok to not give them full vampire weaknesses. Perhaps just use the Drow sunlight sensitivity, then consider adding Vulnerability to Radiant damage to represent the other side of it. Keeping track of damage in sunlight would be a bit of a nightmare.
Other advice is to ensure that they are also getting the non-mechanical disadvantages to being a vampire; primarily the fact that 80% of the general populace would be terrified of them if they discover the truth, and that the other 20% will try to destroy them on sight. Normal life is out of the question...
If they aren't getting full vampire powers, then it's probably ok to not give them full vampire weaknesses. Perhaps just use the Drow sunlight sensitivity, then consider adding Vulnerability to Radiant damage to represent the other side of it. Keeping track of damage in sunlight would be a bit of a nightmare.
Other advice is to ensure that they are also getting the non-mechanical disadvantages to being a vampire; primarily the fact that 80% of the general populace would be terrified of them if they discover the truth, and that the other 20% will try to destroy them on sight. Normal life is out of the question...
I like the idea of the drow sunlight sensitivity though my initial ideas of the player dying after a long dungeon dive did humor me. Yes i think the most impactful change will be the general populace, thanks for your input
Clothes, sadly (or thankfully, depending on whether you're asking vampires or common folk) don't provide any relief from the vampire weakness to sunlight, unless a trait of the specific attire mentions so. In general, clothes do not give you full cover or total concealment from light.
Besides, I'd think that the most interesting parts of turning into a vampire is the first few nights, when you slowly but surely begin to realize you're a creature of the night now.
And if you want to make sure the PC doesn't accidentally kill themselves by finding themselves out in the open when dawn comes, I suggest someone invests in a means to cast Darkness. It will give them time to think or utilize other options of survival or escape.
I think i would have him have to seek out a special tailor for clothes that allow him to remain in sunlight. I do have elements in my campaign that could fit with this but they are hard to find so it would require some searching.
The rules are there as a guide that you can bend or break in your world. As long as the players are aware.
i would suggest something extreme. Maybe through lore or history checks he learns that there is a test that would allow him to walk in daylight. The. Catch would be it’s a stay out when the sun comes up and if he’s strong enough he becomes a day walker. Make a roll to succeed. Failure is death by ash. Maybe some quests to improve his odds. Will he take the chance?
I wouldn't even let a vampire step out into the sunlight without taking massive damage. Wearing extremely thick and heavy clothes that practically covers all parts of them would reduce the damage, but they would still be taking damage over time. Maybe around 1d6 damage every 30 minutes if they wear thick enough clothes, but that'd also give them the same penalties as heavy armor, and they'd still have disadvantage for everything they do in sunlight. There is also the fact that they will look super suspicious, and depending on how your world is, vampire hunters may start coming after your player.
Of course, getting that much penalties isn't fun if it's not worth it. Just being a vampire in itself will make a character much stronger than your average adventurer. I'd suggest increasing str/dex/con/cha and their caps a little, and perhaps giving them some cool vampire bloodline abilities.
But yeah, as RegentCorreon said, if you're not giving them the full vampire powers, don't give them all of the weaknesses either.
The rules are there as a guide that you can bend or break in your world. As long as the players are aware.
i would suggest something extreme. Maybe through lore or history checks he learns that there is a test that would allow him to walk in daylight. The. Catch would be it’s a stay out when the sun comes up and if he’s strong enough he becomes a day walker. Make a roll to succeed. Failure is death by ash. Maybe some quests to improve his odds. Will he take the chance?
I love this idea cause i know he would take the chance. And it could be a cool quest line to go along, high risk high reward.
Yeah good point with the heavier clothing. And while creatures of the night are somewhat "accepted" many still are uneasy about them in my world. I think if we have a vampire running around during the day now i think that will spark the CREATION of a vampire hunting group. So yeah i'm taking all of what you guys into consideration. Definitely going to increase his caps as he rolled really good and had 18 str and now has 19 since he took the ability score improvement. also why i like your idea of vampire hunters since that will pose more of a threat to him when he least expects it and maybe even some party turmoil.
Thanks everyone now my juices are flowing *evil laugh*
And if you want to make sure the PC doesn't accidentally kill themselves by finding themselves out in the open when dawn comes, I suggest someone invests in a means to cast Darkness. It will give them time to think or utilize other options of survival or escape.
I think this is the most compelling suggestion so far. Sure, you can homebrew some mechanics that take some of the bite out of being a vampire, but think of how rewarding an experience it would be for your player to figure out on their own, using the existing mechanics of the game, to deal with the adversity of vampirism? Vampires are powerful; giving that power a high price tag makes it feel heavier, more real.
Note that darkness can be cast on items and can be covered to prevent it from spreading. Perhaps your vampire player could cut out eyeholes in a large sheet, cast darkness on the inside and wrap themselves in it, protecting themselves from sun without obscuring the vision of allies. I suppose they would also need some special sunglasses. I can't recall at the moment, but there is a spell/ability that allows for sight in magical darkness. A simpler, RAWer solution is for darkness to alway cover your PC, who relies on a non-sight perception to get around (sound, smell, familiar, pet, etc). One biggest drawback is the 10 minute duration of the darkness spell. Perhaps the PC spends most outdoor travel time locked in a barrel, only coming out for 10 minutes of this or that at a time. Perhaps your group changes its circadian rhythm to minimize daytime adventuring hours.
There are lots of fun solutions within RAW, or very close to RAW - homebrew solutions can be good, but don't try to "fix" so much that you deprive your characters of a fun opportunity to problem solve.
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I have a player that wants to become a vampire after learning a bit about them from an NPC i have that is a Vampire herself. I am all for this I just would like some input on a couple of their features
When it comes to them being in sunlight i know it says they have disadvantage in ability checks and attack rolls and they also take 20 radiant damage. What do you think the specifics are about this, do you all think that if the vampire wears appropriate clothing they could avoid these issues? I think a goofy, wide brimmed, heavy hat could fix this perhaps giving them a relief from the disadvantage but now not past like 30 feet or so. I just would like to hear how you all would approach this, I definitely am not giving the player all the features of a vampire outright though i have that part covered at least.
"I am THE truth"
I don't believe clothing would prevent the problems of sunlight for a vampire, after all it is possible to get a sunburn through clothing in "real life".
Perpetually annoyed that Eldritch Knights can't use Eldritch Blast, Eldritch Smite, and Eldritch Sight.
If they aren't getting full vampire powers, then it's probably ok to not give them full vampire weaknesses. Perhaps just use the Drow sunlight sensitivity, then consider adding Vulnerability to Radiant damage to represent the other side of it. Keeping track of damage in sunlight would be a bit of a nightmare.
Other advice is to ensure that they are also getting the non-mechanical disadvantages to being a vampire; primarily the fact that 80% of the general populace would be terrified of them if they discover the truth, and that the other 20% will try to destroy them on sight. Normal life is out of the question...
Clothes, sadly (or thankfully, depending on whether you're asking vampires or common folk) don't provide any relief from the vampire weakness to sunlight, unless a trait of the specific attire mentions so. In general, clothes do not give you full cover or total concealment from light.
Besides, I'd think that the most interesting parts of turning into a vampire is the first few nights, when you slowly but surely begin to realize you're a creature of the night now.
And if you want to make sure the PC doesn't accidentally kill themselves by finding themselves out in the open when dawn comes, I suggest someone invests in a means to cast Darkness. It will give them time to think or utilize other options of survival or escape.
"I am THE truth"
"I am THE truth"
The rules are there as a guide that you can bend or break in your world. As long as the players are aware.
i would suggest something extreme. Maybe through lore or history checks he learns that there is a test that would allow him to walk in daylight. The. Catch would be it’s a stay out when the sun comes up and if he’s strong enough he becomes a day walker. Make a roll to succeed. Failure is death by ash. Maybe some quests to improve his odds. Will he take the chance?
I wouldn't even let a vampire step out into the sunlight without taking massive damage. Wearing extremely thick and heavy clothes that practically covers all parts of them would reduce the damage, but they would still be taking damage over time. Maybe around 1d6 damage every 30 minutes if they wear thick enough clothes, but that'd also give them the same penalties as heavy armor, and they'd still have disadvantage for everything they do in sunlight. There is also the fact that they will look super suspicious, and depending on how your world is, vampire hunters may start coming after your player.
Of course, getting that much penalties isn't fun if it's not worth it. Just being a vampire in itself will make a character much stronger than your average adventurer. I'd suggest increasing str/dex/con/cha and their caps a little, and perhaps giving them some cool vampire bloodline abilities.
But yeah, as RegentCorreon said, if you're not giving them the full vampire powers, don't give them all of the weaknesses either.
"I am THE truth"
Yeah good point with the heavier clothing. And while creatures of the night are somewhat "accepted" many still are uneasy about them in my world. I think if we have a vampire running around during the day now i think that will spark the CREATION of a vampire hunting group. So yeah i'm taking all of what you guys into consideration. Definitely going to increase his caps as he rolled really good and had 18 str and now has 19 since he took the ability score improvement. also why i like your idea of vampire hunters since that will pose more of a threat to him when he least expects it and maybe even some party turmoil.
Thanks everyone now my juices are flowing *evil laugh*
"I am THE truth"
Note that darkness can be cast on items and can be covered to prevent it from spreading. Perhaps your vampire player could cut out eyeholes in a large sheet, cast darkness on the inside and wrap themselves in it, protecting themselves from sun without obscuring the vision of allies. I suppose they would also need some special sunglasses. I can't recall at the moment, but there is a spell/ability that allows for sight in magical darkness. A simpler, RAWer solution is for darkness to alway cover your PC, who relies on a non-sight perception to get around (sound, smell, familiar, pet, etc). One biggest drawback is the 10 minute duration of the darkness spell. Perhaps the PC spends most outdoor travel time locked in a barrel, only coming out for 10 minutes of this or that at a time. Perhaps your group changes its circadian rhythm to minimize daytime adventuring hours.
There are lots of fun solutions within RAW, or very close to RAW - homebrew solutions can be good, but don't try to "fix" so much that you deprive your characters of a fun opportunity to problem solve.