Peer Review: Watered Down Vampires


Homebrew and House Rules


Please see this.

The spoiler about half way down the page has the mechanics nicely formatted.

The GM asked me to post this for her so the community could review and suggest.

Dark Archive

Amazingly cool menu of optional abilities and weaknesses!

I'd be inclined to have vampires in a certain area or of a similar parentage / base race follow a fairly typical progression, rather than have a party encounter a couple of vampires in a row that have wildly different abilities and weaknesses...

"Ring the bell! Ring the bell!"
"I'm ringing the bell! Can't you hear me ringing the bell? She doesn't care! Try the garlic!"

Quote:
If reduced to 0 hit points in combat, a vampire's fast healing ceases to function, and it becomes helpless until it has rested for an hour in its coffin.

That's gonna be a bit of a problem if the vampire is reduced to 0 hit points in combat and doesn't happen to conveniently be standing in his coffin at the time, I suspect. :)

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For The Thirst, I'd go with Intelligence loss, rather than Wisdom loss. The vampire would grow increasingly feral and animalistic, perhaps, as they 'starve,' which would be better represented by Intelligence loss. Wisdom loss suggests that their senses are becoming dulled. Particularly in modern media, a starving vampire seems to become *more aware* of their surroundings (particularly the blood pulsing through everyone around them), which would be counter to a reduction in Wisdom (and thus, Perception).

Having Strength also reduce as the vampire becomes hungry would also fit many presentations (at a lower rate, 1 pt. day, max). Even a half-drowned rat of a vampire should be stronger than anyone would expect...

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I'd skip the overly specific 'stake, then decapitate, then holy water' trifecta and just say that the stake incapacitates it, while burning the body, melting it with holy water, acid splashing it into soup, having a summoned rat swarm devour it**, etc. is all probably sufficient to finish it off. Decapitation probably works, too, for *most* vampires.

**Then again, having a summoned rat swarm devour it could just be a terribadawfulnogood idea. Some things we only learn by having them blow up in our faces. :>


We have a Hound Master Cavalier in the party, and I'm seeeeeriously considering going with the Animal Possession breed ability just for that very reason. Ratswarm, huh? Thanks! I'l just take one of those rats over nice and quiet-like... doomdedoom...

I think we might need to address the value/rarity/difficulty in replacement for coffins. Those numbers need to be readily available.

Madness always seems to be represented by Wisdom Drain in DnD, hence the choice to go with Wis for the Thirst. With their +6 racial mod to Perception, I think that the drop in wisdom isn't going to impact perception too much.

I'm hoping she leaves the ridiculously specific need for vampire death, and maybe even adds an ability that lets you set an even more -weird- one. Vampires are mythically hard to kill, and that small line helps me keep alive when a usual 0hp moment would make me go *poof*!


Upon further testing and examination, I think this isn't worth playing. Watching all your friends level up twice while you basically get some immunities and the ability to turn to mist is bad. I was under the impression that this would only cost one level, but the GM assures me she is going to charge two, and frankly, I can do everything it can do BETTER with a new level of spells.

Playing with this is like playing with Mind-Blades or Warlocks. Looks cool on paper, not worth doing.


This is why vampires were turned to energy vampires.
Having them suck blood as a non-magical vampiric touch works only for mutants.
I will read the materials and make better comments.

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Already, I can see a culled one could have a 1 level adjustment. When they spend the other 1 level they can become a full revanent. Can a culled one select class use as a major power? Not by RAW but as homebrew.

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