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I found this when doing a Way of the Wicked search and finding a campaign on the site Obsidian Portal. I'm curious to see if others find this progression balanced and something that could be offered to players. What do you all think?
They also have a write up for Lich PCs, along with Undead feats and spells... which I can give if asked, at least links.
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Vampire
The Path of the Vampire It is not merely enough to be bitten by a vampire. The process of transforming into a true vampire is a long, painful and arduous road. Some are not up to this grueling task and instead the curse overwhelms them. Instead of transforming into a vampire, they instead merely sicken and die or worse, become an almost mindless spawn fit for little more than menial service to an undying master. However, our characters are made of sterner stuff. To become a true vampire requires an investment of five feats – a major expenditure to be sure. However, the rewards of becoming a vampire are viewed by many as being worth the cost of this ascension.
The Bitten
You have been bitten by a vampire and infected with the curse of undeath. As you sicken, your senses heighten and you become profoundly aware that every day, you are changing into something both more and less than mortal. You have only begun your transformation into the living dead.
Prerequisites: You must be bitten by a vampire.
Benefits: You gain darkvision 30 ft. and the alertness feat, however your Constitution score is lowered by two permanently.
The Dying
You are dying. You can feel it in very core of your being. Your mortal blood is failing and the vampiric curse is overtaking you. Soon, you will die and rise again as a vampire.
Prerequisites: The Bitten, 3rd level
Benefits: Your natural armor improves +2, your darkvision improves to 60 ft., you gain a +2 racial bonus to Perception and you gain the toughness feat. However your Constitution score is again lowered by two permanently, you now cast no shadow and have no reflection in a mirror. Further, in full daylight you are sickened.
The Risen
Vampirism has overtaken you and you have died. However after three days in the ground you have risen from your own death. You are now a fledgling vampire. However, you are still unsure of your powers and only begun to understand the full reprecussions of this dark gift. Still, you are fast as lightning and full of fury. You an barely restrain your thirst for living blood.
Prerequisites: The Bitten, The Dying, 5th level
Benefits: You gain the feats Dodge, Improved Initiative and Lightning Reflexes. Your Dex score is improved by +2. You are now an undead and have no Constitution score. You gain resistance to cold 10 and electricity 10 in addition to all the normal defensive abilities granted by being an undead. You also gain the special attack Blood Drain (as per the vampire template). However, you must sleep in a coffin every night, you gain the vampiric weaknesses to daylight (this replaces being sickened by daylight) and running water, and if you ever go more than twenty four hours without feeding on living blood you become sickened until you feed. If you are sickened from lack of food and encounter a living creature with blood in their veins, you must make a DC 12 Will save or immediately try to drain their blood. If you succeed at such a save you do not have to check again for one hour. If reduced to zero hit points, you fall dead, indistinguishable from a normal corpse. You will remain this way until either you are healed by negative energy or fed blood enough to heal you.
The Initiated
You have been a vampire long enough that you are beginning to be able to control your condition. You need to feed less frequently and you have begun to control your form turning into mist or climbing like a spider.
Prerequisites: The Bitten, The Dying, The Risen, 7th level
Benefits: You gain the feat Combat Reflexes. You gain a +4 racial bonus to Bluff, Perception, Sense Motive and Stealth Checks (the Perception bonus replaces the bonus from the Dying feat). You gain the gaseous form and spider climb special qualities of a vampire (see the vampire template). If reduced to zero hit points You are still sickened if you do not feed but now you need only feed every three days. However, you now recoil from mirrors and strongly presented holy symbols.
True Vampirism
You have mastered your condition of vampirism and are now a true vampire in every sense.
Prerequisites: The Bitten, the Dying, the Risen, The Initiated, 9th level
Benefits: You gain the full benefit and weaknesses of the vampire template.
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Just gonna leave this here.
Huh, cool. Thanks for offering this, I will look into it. What do you think of the write up above?
vampires are pcs is pretty insane, as it makes them functionally immortal.
Also at will dominate person
Notice how it requires 5 feat to fully gain the Vampire template and reach True Vampirism... that is quite the investment, particularly for many classes and builds.
Also, note how it gives the strengths and weaknesses of vampires while also requiring the carrying around a coffin and staying out of the sunlight.
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I would totally go for this if I was playing Way of the Wicked again. or for a lich if I was playing a caster.
I think because of the level and feat investment that its perfectly fine to allow this.
The Lich follows a different setup I should worn, not feat based persay compared to the Vampire.
I am glad you feel that way, this is how I feel as well.
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Fair enough Shiroi when it comes to giving you feats back, yet such feats wont be as useful for some classes compared to others. That, and many feel fighters are the weakest class anyway so giving them a bigger benefit then casting classes when it comes to bonus feats I consider a plus.
Immortality isn't that big a thing in my games, I even have homebrewed a feat and trait that gives the 'not dying from aging or aging at all' immortality at first level. I also allow the Wed to History feat, so there is that.
On powerfulness... perhaps, though many of the weaknesses could well be considered 'challanging' if a DM fully enforces them.
Looks pretty cool, but if the intention is to have a mixed party of vampires and non-vampires, I would not suggest using this.
I would use 3.x for inspiration, the ECL rules...
I would call a vampire +10 levels, and I'm not alone on that (a cursory google search produced that number, took me about ten seconds).
If everyone in the party is vampires, just slap the template on them and have fun.
Undead games can be VERY fun.
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Officially in D&D 3.5, taking a look on d20rsd.org and Monster Manual, the Level Adjustment is "Same as the base creature +8 actually"... not +10 as you have said.
Does not the above balance things enough to allow a vampire in a party without such a template? I mean an all vampire party could work, but is far from preferred.
Officially in D&D 3.5, taking a look on d20rsd.org and Monster Manual, the Level Adjustment is "Same as the base creature +8 actually"... not +10 as you have said.
Does not the above balance things enough to allow a vampire in a party without such a template? I mean an all vampire party could work, but is far from preferred.
Yeah I went to EN world, like I said I spent about ten seconds looking.
I don't really agree with all the ECL adjustments from 3.5, part of why I don't play it anymore.
In any case, paying five feats to the the template is something I wouldn't even THINK about, I would make a fighter and F**K THINGS UP!
I would also feel bad for anyone who didn't pay those five feats, because vampires as PCs are scary as hell.
Monks with level drain and domination powers at will? Yikes.
Throw fast heal in there as well? Wow.
Monks with level drain and domination powers at will? Yikes.
Throw fast heal in there as well? Wow.
Well, if nothing else, Energy Drain is limited to once per round, so Flurry of Blows doesn't make it super scary.
A Tetori Monk making use on Blood Drain, on the other hand, is still very scary.
Monks with level drain and domination powers at will? Yikes.
Throw fast heal in there as well? Wow.Well, if nothing else, Energy Drain is limited to once per round, so Flurry of Blows doesn't make it super scary.
A Tetori Monk making use on Blood Drain, on the other hand, is still very scary.
Oh I'm aware of the limitations, I've made many a vampire monk in my games...
"only" one level drain per round is scary.
Having to pay five feats by level 9 isn't a hindrance, it's a gift.
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Well consider for a moment Alex... this is encouraging one to play a fighter or monk, something which isn't always easy to do given the power spellcasters have such wizards, druids, and clerics. More, it sounds like you would be excited to play a vampire fighter.
Am I the only one seeing the positive with the vampire feats above when it comes to using, and encouraging, martials?
Edit: Remember to consideration for this being allowed for a non-evil party, thus reasonably limiting somewhat a vampire from a moral standpoint. Using Energy Drain and Domination as a 'combat strategy' could bring problems, either for the vampire in question or the party.
Well consider for a moment Alex... this is encouraging one to play a fighter or monk, something which isn't always easy to do given the power spellcasters have such wizards, druids, and clerics. More, it sounds like you would be excited to play a vampire fighter.
Am I the only one seeing the positive with the vampire feats above when it comes to using, and encouraging, martials?
I would play this game in a heartbeat, for sure!
Anyone NOT taking this feat chain would be a complete moron, IMO.
I think it's WAY too permissive.
I would abuse the CRAP out of this, and would likely play a Fighter.
Casters would benefit a bit less from this, but should still take it.
Would you ALLOW the whole party to use these? If not, I feel it is unbalanced.
It's not like a party containing a vampire will force the vampire to try and adventure during the day, so the limitations get a lot less severe there...
Well Alex, what suggestions would you offer to make this a bit more restrictive and balanced?
If you aren't allowing the entire party to be vampires?
Forget feats, have it be a level adjustment.
8-10 levels sounds about right.
If you ARE allowing them to all be vampires, just slap the template on them and hit the power button. Ready to go.
Alternatively, try something similar to what 3.x did with undead, turn it into a CLASS.
I think Libris Mortis is the book you want to check out. It's full of awesomeness.
I think I agree with it being a class-based build. That gives a progression and puts the costs more in line with the benefits. I would allow the class to advance one class feature of the base character's class. This would allow a spellcaster to keep up
A prestige class may well be a good way to handle this. Especially considering that most prestige classes become available around level 5 or 6, and the Vampire template requires at least 5 HD.