Valafar Zaros Kiokras
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One of my players wants to be both a vampire and a lich. My idea is make him drain all of his blood into an enchanted cauldron phylactery and if you drink the blood a giant and put the blood into the cauldron you grow taller and if you put in blood of an orc you get plus 2 strength. If you have any other idea post them
| Korginard Wintersfury |
The Vampire/Lich is too powerful and their respective undead states are completely incompatible. A Lich lacks the bodily functions necessary to process blood. A skeletal creature cannot drink blood, it has no organs or circulatory system. Have them settle for being a Vampire, there is really no good reason to be both and it simply does not work. If they choose to be a Lich instead, perhaps they can bathe in the blood to gain abilities.
The item that imbues abilities based on what blood is placed in it is interesting and doable. Just ensure that there are drawbacks to it. Sure bathing or drinking Giant blood may make them strong, but perhaps it makes them clumsy or less intelligent (Depending on what kind of giant). The Blood of a Werewolf could impart some fierce fighting abilities, but adds the tendency for berserk rages as well. The Blood of a Red Dragon may give them some impressive Fire related abilities but leave them more vulnerable to cold. (They would in fact loose the resistance to cold than an undead creature might normally has).
There should always be a trade off, and some types of blood should be too dangerous to mess with. The Blood of a Demon might drive them into a destructive rage. It should also be noted that if they were foolish enough to try to drink the blood of a Angel or other celestial being, it would cause massive damage as it reacts with their undead system. If the celestial being is powerful enough, they could be destroyed outright.
Also consider what happens if someone tricks them and adds say Rat blood to the item. They would become weak, skiddish, ect. This kind of artifact will definitely be powerful, but should have clear drawbacks to it's use.
| master_marshmallow |
vampire, lich, graveknight, and mummy lord are all parallel undead templates.
I know there are rules that basically say that once you apply one template (and become undead) you no longer qualify for another template (because you are no longer living).
If you want to amalgamate them for a home game, the advice is going to be: don't. It's not intended for players to have access to those kinds of abilities.
| Korginard Wintersfury |
So how much blood would be required? I would say it requires the death of the creature involved. This would be a ritual requirement regardless of the size of the creature and the volume of blood involved.
I'm assuming this would be a stationary artifact for the most part. I can see a stone or marble pool, with a cage or other holding device above it. Perhaps the Restraining apparatus and a ritual knife are required. Any pool or cauldron would do, with perhaps the addition of an Unhallow or similar spell to prepare the area.
For most human size "Donors", the victim is placed into the restraints and the ritual involves cutting them and allowing their blood to fall into the pool bellow. When the victim has expired and most of it's blood has drained, the pool is ready for bathing.
For larger creatures like Giants or Dragons, it may be necessary to collect their blood in barrels and dump it into the pool. It might be cool if the barrels or "vessels" are specially crafted and prepared for this purpose.
Perhaps the Vampire or Hemo-lich does not perform the bleeding ritual itself. They may employ a Kyton, Devil, or simply a loyal cultist to take care of that part, and then arrive for their daily "Dip". Of course since this is a player character they should have a Leadership feat or similar way of obtaining the "Help"
If it's a Vampire instead of a Lich, and they are drinking, you could make the item a Chalice rather than a pool or cauldron. A nice jeweled cup would serve nicely, and would be a lot more portable. Obviously it would not require as much blood as a pool or cauldron, but should still require the ritual death of the creature the blood is from. Even with the chalice I would require a specially crafted knife and a specific ritual required to draw blood into the chalice.
| Scott Wilhelm |
I remember an episode of The Real Ghostbusters where there was a town full of werewolves and vampires. When they went to war, the werewolves were turning into vampires whenever they got bitten, and the vampires got turned into werewolves whenever THEY got bitten, sort of like the Starbelly and Plainbelly Sneeches.
I would have your player's character embraced into the night by the Vampire McMonkey McBean...
| Vratix |
Here is the old 3.5 template for the Sangrolu aka the blood lich. Bear in mind, that this was supposed to be applied to things that were already CR20 but probably not enough of a threat for the players without getting beefed up.
The long and short of it, the others are right. This is not something you want the player to be in your game. If you want to use it as an end-goal (and when he achieves it, that character retires to offscreen villainy), I guess that could work. But, this template would absolutely invalidate any other player and would likely lose its appeal to the player who gets it pretty quickly too.
| lemeres |
These templates are in compatible.
Both are templates that "can be added to any living creature".
Basically, once you are a vampire, you can't be a lich since you aren't alive anymore. And once you a lich, you can't become a vampire.
And honestly...they are VERY thematically different, at least when you have them in the same setting.
Liches are very, very, VERY conservative creatures. They are spellcasters that think "yeah, I am never going to get strong enough to become immortal properly. I might as well go for the less pleasant alternative instead". Liches fear true death- they hide their weaknesses away very carefully, and many are more than willing to wait 100 years until the current meddling heroes are long dead. They hardly care about the fact that they are hideous corpses.
Vampires, on the other hand, are the cheap method to immortality, and it shows. While a lich needs tremendous magical powers, a vampire only needs 5 hd. In anything. Vampires (at least the common ones) can keep their youth and beauty...and in return they have a crap ton of weaknesses. Mundane objects can send them reeling. Even common doors can keep them out unless they can trick the occupants of the house to let them in. And they have a fatal weakness to being outside 2/3 of every day.
Liches are for those that want a slightly easier method of immortality that doesn't need wizard 20. But they accept carefully balanced losses with major benefits that insures their continued existence. Vampires are a crap shoot, taking huge losses for minor side benefits.
If you just want a blood based lich, that is fine. But comparing a lich to...make up encrusted flying vermin... bah.
| Guru-Meditation |
Vampires, on the other hand, are the cheap method to immortality, and it shows. While a lich needs tremendous magical powers, a vampire only needs 5 hd. In anything. Vampires (at least the common ones) can keep their youth and beauty...and in return they have a crap ton of weaknesses. Mundane objects can send them reeling. Even common doors can keep them out unless they can trick the occupants of the house to let them in. And they have a fatal weakness to being outside 2/3 of every day.
Liches are for those that want a slightly easier method of immortality that doesn't need wizard 20. But they accept carefully balanced losses with major benefits that insures their continued existence. Vampires are a crap shoot, taking huge losses for minor side benefits.
If you just want a blood based lich, that is fine. But comparing a lich to...make up encrusted flying vermin... bah.
You say it! Bah to those infected Feeders.
Doing disgusting semi-living stuff, like feeling hunger, or needing to eat. Bah! A truly post-mortal being should be past such basic needs. They did not earn their way to immortality, but basically got sneezed on and contracted a defective version of it. They are leaky and have to refill constantly. And full of mental issues...