Vampires Of AD&D

General:

Of all the chaotic evil undead creatures that stalk the night, none is more dreadful than the vampire.  Moving silently through the night, vampires prey upon the living without mercy or compassion.  Unless deep underground, they must return to the coffins in which they pass the daylight hours, and even in the former case they must occasionally return to such to rest, for their power is renewed by contact with soil from their graves.

       One aspect that makes the vampire far more fearful than many of it undead kindred is its appearance.   Unlike other undead creatures, the vampire can easily pass among normal men without drawing attention to itself for, although its facial features are sharp and feral, they do not seem inhuman.  In many cases, a vampire’s true nature is revealed only when it attacks.

       There are ways in which a vampire may be detected by the careful observer, however.  Vampires cast no reflection in a glass, cast no shadows, and move in complete silence.

Combat:

        When engaged in combat, vampires are savage and fearsome opponents.  There are physically very powerful and agile.

        The gaze of a vampire is one of its most powerful and dangerous weapons.  Any person who allows a vampire to look into his eyes will be affected as if by a charm person spell.  In this manner, vampires are often able to pass posted sentries and surprise their chosen victims.

       Like all undead creatures, vampires exist in both the Positive Material and Negative Material planes at the same time.  Their powerful negative essence allows them to drain the life energy from anyone they strike.  If the vampire is making use of some form of weapon in the attack, it cannot employ this power.

       Ordinary weapons, those without any enchantment, pass through vampires without harming them in any way.  Even if attacked with and harmed by magical weapons, vampires can regenerate every minutes in which they have been hurt till completely healed.  If a vampire is in a sense killed it is actually not, the vampire instantly assumes a gaseous form.  Once in this state, it will attempt to flee and return to its coffin with 2 hours, however, it’s essence breaks up and the creature is truly destroyed.

       Sleep, charm, and hold spells do not affect vampires.  Similarly, they are unharmed by poisons and immune to paralysis.  Spells based on cold or electricity cause only half normal effect upon them.

       At will, vampires are able to disperse their bodies into clouds of elemental vapor and assume gaseous form.  In this state, they are all but immune to attack and can escape from almost any confinement.  In addition, vampires can shape change so as to take on the form of a large bat.

       Vampires can summon lesser creatures for aid.  In a subterranean environment, they will typically call forth a swarm of 10-100 rats or bats.  In the case of the latter, these do not physically attack but serve to confuse and obscure the vision of the vampire’s foes.  In the wilderness, a vampire will normally call upon 3-18 wolves for assistance.  In all cases, the summoned animals arrive in 2-12 minutes.

       At will, a vampire can use a spider climb ability and scale sheer surfaces.  Often, they will employ this power to gain access to rooms on upper floors without alerting those on watch downstairs.  This power also permits the vampire to seek refuge in places which are all but beyond the reach of mortal men.

       Despite the great powers which vampires obviously posses, they 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 drive it off.  Garlic will prevent the creature from attacking or entering the 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 lawful good 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 lawful good holy symbols are burned by them.

       Just as vampires can be kept at bay, so too can they 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 one minute, utterly annihilated.  If the vampire can be immersed in running water, it loses one-third of it life every minute till on the third minute it is destroyed.  Last, a vampire can be killed by having a wooden stake driven through its heart.  In this case, however, the creature can be restored simply by removing the stake if further measures are not taken to ensure the fate of the vampire.  In order for it to be completely destroyed, the vampire’s head must be cut off and it’s mouth stuffed with holy wafers.

       Any human or humanoid creature slain by the life energy drain of a vampire is doomed to become a vampire himself. Thus, those who would hunt these lord of the undead must be very careful lest they find themselves condemned to a fate far worse than death.  The transformation takes place one day after the burial of the creature.  Those who are not actually buried, however, do not become undead and it is thus traditional that the bodies of a vampire’s victims be burned or similarly destroyed.  Once they become undead, the new vampire is under complete control of it’s killer.  If that vampire is destroyed, the controlled undead are freed from its power and become self-willed creatures.

       In most cases, vampires do not lose the abilities and knowledge which they had in life when they become undead.  Thus, it is possible for a vampire to have the powers of, for example, a wizard, thief, or even a priest.  In all cases, of course, the new vampire becomes chaotic evil.

Habitat/Society:

        Vampires live in areas of death and desolation where they will not be reminded of the lives they have left behind.  Ruined castles or chapels and large cemeteries are popular lairs for them, as are sites of great tragedies or battles.  Vampires often feel a strong attachment to specific or the site of a murder.

When deciding on a course of action, vampires move very slowly and meticulously.  It is not uncommon for a vampire to undertake some scheme, which may take decades or even centuries to reach its conclusion.  Because of the curse of immortality that has fallen upon them, they feel that time is always on their side and will often defeat foes who might otherwise overcome them; vampires can simply go into hiding for a few decades until the passing of years brings its enemies down.

       Vampires are normally solitary creatures.  When they are found in the company of others of their kind, the group will certainly consist of a single vampire lord and a small group of vampires which it has created to do it’s bidding.  In this way, the vampire can exert its power over a greater range without running the risk of exposing itself to attack by would-be heroes.

       In general, vampires feel only contempt for the world of living creatures.  Denied the pleasures of a true life, they have become dark and twisted creatures bent on revenge and terror.  When a vampire create another of it's kind, it considers the new creature a mere tool.  The minion will be sent on mission which the vampire feels may be too dangerous or unimportant for it's personal attention.  It the need arises, these pawns will be gladly sacrificed to protect or further the ends of their master.  

Ecology:

        The vampire has no place in the world of living creatures.  It is a thing of darkness that exists only to bring about evil and chaos.  Almost without exception, the vampire is feared and hated by those who dwell in regions in which it chooses to make it’s home.  The vampire’s unnatural presence is all-pervasive and will cause dogs and similar animals to raise a cry of alarm at the presence of the creature.