Getting a head start on some work done on a Halloween Campaign I've been running for the past few years with a few friends. For this year the party will be hunting vampires, oh but not just any vampires, Patriarchs, Methuselahs, whatever you want to call them. Really strong vampires with names that hold the weight of their power. Looking for some of the nastiest most powerful named vampires from fiction (but not anime so no Alucard or DIO Brando shenaniganry) . So far, my list includes:
At least the first edition Vampire the Masquerade had Cain, an iteration of the biblical Cain, or at least Vampire society presumed their Cain was also the Biblical Cain (World of Darkness vampire lore is filled with rumor and misdirection, essential truths being fictions to maintain hierarchy etc, but it's all very point of view dependent) as first Vampire, so much that one of the more stable vampire societies referred to their people as Cainites. White Wolf even published a "Book of Nod" that was supposed to resemble a sort of Biblical Apocrypha book about the intersection of vampires and human pre-history. As written it could be ported pretty readily into a heroic fantasy game.
Or just go with Bill Nighy.
Or to table flip, maybe have your PCs hunting some vampires because "they're vampires" but they're the vampires in Only Lovers Left Alive (which is a gorgeous movie that intersects vampirism with human creativity and arts in a way that it would sort of "feel wrong" for them to be killed off).
You do know he was an actor who played a vampire, not a fictional vampire, right?
To the OP, I’d add The Master from season 1of Buffy. Maybe also the pair of Spike and Drusilla, because it’s nice to mix things up with a pair sometimes. And if you want a comic relief arc, there’s the characters from What We Do in the Shadows. Either the TV or movie version. If you want the powerful ones, there’s Baron Afanas and The Sire. Also Evan Rachel Wood and Danny Trejo, but that’s when things get pretty silly and meta. Lestat from Interview with the Vampire. Bill from True Blood, because after all those names, one named Bill would be kind of awesome. I never followed Twilight, but I know there’s lots of vampires there.
I love that you included the Warhammer vampires in your list.
My suggested MVV (most valuable vamp) has to be Moka Akashiya From Rosario + Vampire though. I know you said no anime, but she’s just too cool. And if you omit her she might tell you to “know your place.” 😂
I don't know if he's very powerful, but Lord Ruthven is the name of the vampire in Polidori's short story that kind of started the vampire craze in the Romantic period. There's also Varney the Vampire as a vampire who originated a lot of tropes, but it's a hard name to take seriously. Carmilla might also work. Not all of these names are super recognizable, but they're 'old' enough in terms of lore (though I guess it depends on your setting) that they should at least be powerful. And there's something to having a super powerful vampire whose name isn't well-known amongst the general populace.
You do know he was an actor who played a vampire, not a fictional vampire, right?
To the OP, I’d add The Master from season 1of Buffy. Maybe also the pair of Spike and Drusilla, because it’s nice to mix things up with a pair sometimes. And if you want a comic relief arc, there’s the characters from What We Do in the Shadows. Either the TV or movie version. If you want the powerful ones, there’s Baron Afanas and The Sire. Also Evan Rachel Wood and Danny Trejo, but that’s when things get pretty silly and meta. Lestat from Interview with the Vampire. Bill from True Blood, because after all those names, one named Bill would be kind of awesome. I never followed Twilight, but I know there’s lots of vampires there.
Really? No I thought that was a really real vampire that actually existed. Don’t tell me that Christopher Lee wasn’t actually a vampire either?
You do know he was an actor who played a vampire, not a fictional vampire, right?
To the OP, I’d add The Master from season 1of Buffy. Maybe also the pair of Spike and Drusilla, because it’s nice to mix things up with a pair sometimes. And if you want a comic relief arc, there’s the characters from What We Do in the Shadows. Either the TV or movie version. If you want the powerful ones, there’s Baron Afanas and The Sire. Also Evan Rachel Wood and Danny Trejo, but that’s when things get pretty silly and meta. Lestat from Interview with the Vampire. Bill from True Blood, because after all those names, one named Bill would be kind of awesome. I never followed Twilight, but I know there’s lots of vampires there.
Really? No I thought that was a really real vampire that actually existed. Don’t tell me that Christopher Lee wasn’t actually a vampire either?
I’m pretty sure Christopher Lee actually is. So there.
I love that you included the Warhammer vampires in your list.
My suggested MVV (most valuable vamp) has to be Moka Akashiya From Rosario + Vampire though. I know you said no anime, but she’s just too cool. And if you omit her she might tell you to “know your place.” 😂
Considering her transformations take longer than most of her fights, I would say she is definitely a powerful vampire.
I love that you included the Warhammer vampires in your list.
My suggested MVV (most valuable vamp) has to be Moka Akashiya From Rosario + Vampire though. I know you said no anime, but she’s just too cool. And if you omit her she might tell you to “know your place.” 😂
Considering her transformations take longer than most of her fights, I would say she is definitely a powerful vampire.
You probably will want one vampire that exercises soft power, not hard power--i.e. their power comes not from physical strength but from their ability to woo others to do their bidding. That would give you the opportunity to have something a little more political instead of yet another boss fight. The party would have to break the vampire's control over human politics and their own followers. You can find a few examples in shows True Blood (unwatchable as most of it is) or anything else in the more romantic side of vampirism... or you could just make your own--should be easy enough.
I'm glad to see there are no "twinkles" in these suggestions. (Twilight series vampires)
Count Chocula and The Count (Sesame Street, Count von Count) are better vampires than the twinkles.
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Getting a head start on some work done on a Halloween Campaign I've been running for the past few years with a few friends. For this year the party will be hunting vampires, oh but not just any vampires, Patriarchs, Methuselahs, whatever you want to call them. Really strong vampires with names that hold the weight of their power. Looking for some of the nastiest most powerful named vampires from fiction (but not anime so no Alucard or DIO Brando shenaniganry) . So far, my list includes:
Bella Lugosi.
At least the first edition Vampire the Masquerade had Cain, an iteration of the biblical Cain, or at least Vampire society presumed their Cain was also the Biblical Cain (World of Darkness vampire lore is filled with rumor and misdirection, essential truths being fictions to maintain hierarchy etc, but it's all very point of view dependent) as first Vampire, so much that one of the more stable vampire societies referred to their people as Cainites. White Wolf even published a "Book of Nod" that was supposed to resemble a sort of Biblical Apocrypha book about the intersection of vampires and human pre-history. As written it could be ported pretty readily into a heroic fantasy game.
Or just go with Bill Nighy.
Or to table flip, maybe have your PCs hunting some vampires because "they're vampires" but they're the vampires in Only Lovers Left Alive (which is a gorgeous movie that intersects vampirism with human creativity and arts in a way that it would sort of "feel wrong" for them to be killed off).
Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.
You do know he was an actor who played a vampire, not a fictional vampire, right?
To the OP, I’d add The Master from season 1of Buffy. Maybe also the pair of Spike and Drusilla, because it’s nice to mix things up with a pair sometimes.
And if you want a comic relief arc, there’s the characters from What We Do in the Shadows. Either the TV or movie version. If you want the powerful ones, there’s Baron Afanas and The Sire. Also Evan Rachel Wood and Danny Trejo, but that’s when things get pretty silly and meta.
Lestat from Interview with the Vampire.
Bill from True Blood, because after all those names, one named Bill would be kind of awesome.
I never followed Twilight, but I know there’s lots of vampires there.
I love that you included the Warhammer vampires in your list.
My suggested MVV (most valuable vamp) has to be Moka Akashiya From Rosario + Vampire though. I know you said no anime, but she’s just too cool. And if you omit her she might tell you to “know your place.” 😂
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I don't know if he's very powerful, but Lord Ruthven is the name of the vampire in Polidori's short story that kind of started the vampire craze in the Romantic period. There's also Varney the Vampire as a vampire who originated a lot of tropes, but it's a hard name to take seriously. Carmilla might also work. Not all of these names are super recognizable, but they're 'old' enough in terms of lore (though I guess it depends on your setting) that they should at least be powerful. And there's something to having a super powerful vampire whose name isn't well-known amongst the general populace.
Birgit | Shifter | Sorcerer | Dragonlords
Shayone | Hobgoblin | Sorcerer | Netherdeep
Anne Rice The Vampire Chronicles.
Akasha
Lestat
Louis de Pointe du Lac
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Angelus
Aurelius
Heinrich Joseph Nest
Kakistos
The Lost Boys
(David
Dwayne
Paul
Marko
Star
Laddie Thompson
Underworld
Alexander Corvinus
Marcus Corvinus
William Corvinus
Vampires (1998 film)
Jan Valek
Maximillian played by Eddie Murphy in Vampire in Brooklyn but mainly just for the "evil is good" sermon.
Really? No I thought that was a really real vampire that actually existed. Don’t tell me that Christopher Lee wasn’t actually a vampire either?
I’m pretty sure Christopher Lee actually is. So there.
Considering her transformations take longer than most of her fights, I would say she is definitely a powerful vampire.
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Gabriel Belmont? Some of his action sequences are over the top, and he defeated Satan.
Alucard/Vlad Dracula Tepes - Hellsing Manga/Anime series
Would be my vote for "most powerful"... Sort of his whole thing in the narrative actually.
If we count game vampires I'd like to add:
and as a good vampire example
Lord Verandis Ravenwatch
Sorin Markov, Olivia Voldaren, Baron Sengir.
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Spells, Monsters, Magic Items, Feats, Subclasses.
I am an Archfey, but nobody seems to notice.
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Count Dracula in the Marvel Universe is darn powerful and takes on super heroes.
You probably will want one vampire that exercises soft power, not hard power--i.e. their power comes not from physical strength but from their ability to woo others to do their bidding. That would give you the opportunity to have something a little more political instead of yet another boss fight. The party would have to break the vampire's control over human politics and their own followers. You can find a few examples in shows True Blood (unwatchable as most of it is) or anything else in the more romantic side of vampirism... or you could just make your own--should be easy enough.
Bonus points if Dracula is a big a nerd and owes one of the party members money.
Lon Chaney
I'm glad to see there are no "twinkles" in these suggestions. (Twilight series vampires)
Count Chocula and The Count (Sesame Street, Count von Count) are better vampires than the twinkles.
Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider.
My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong.
I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲
“It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.