I'm tossing around ideas for a vampire antagonist, one idea was one that actually interacts with the PC's regularly, hidden in plain sight and all that. However the fact that vampires do not cast shadows, and to a lesser extent the lack of reflection, worries me that it'd tip off the PC's too early. What tricks are there to hide these giveaways?
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9,000gp will get you Protective Penumbra on a piece of armor.
One or two instances of the vampire obviously casting a reflection, obviously havng a shadow; obviously able to cross water - even if staged will throw players in a different direction.
So .. have a projected image in a mirror. Have a one minute staged conversation - before hurrying off to another room.
Spells that generate shadows, etc....
Daywalker spell (antipla 4, cleric 5, sor/wiz 5, witch 5) from Cohorts and Companions.
Hm... alright, thanks for the replies. =)
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I'm tossing around ideas for a vampire antagonist, one idea was one that actually interacts with the PC's regularly, hidden in plain sight and all that. However the fact that vampires do not cast shadows, and to a lesser extent the lack of reflection, worries me that it'd tip off the PC's too early. What tricks are there to hide these giveaways?
Blood of Fiends has some alternate racial quirks for Tieflings which include a tiefling without a shadow.
If the PCs first encounter a tiefling without a shadow, encountering another character, later, without a shadow, won't be as weird.
The Vampire could also disguise as a tiefling and the PCs would able to use a knowledge check to learn that while uncommon, some tieflings do not cast shadows.
Not sure on the reflection. I think the easiest option there, for the GM, would be to have another antagonize that attacked creatures from within reflections, so the PCs were disinclined to look in mirrors at all. A Witch would be an ideal mirror-based enemy. A haunt could also work.
And the key here would be to not introduce both oddities at the same time. Meeting the NPC without a shadow shouldn't occur on the same day they get attacked from a mirror. These are just related events which just happen to make the vampire harder to notice.
Have the vampire be a spell caster able to use illusions. Use the illusions to create shadows and reflections as needed. Since the characters are interacting with the vampire instead of the shadow or reflection they don’t even get a save.
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If there's something special about the character other than being undead - like a special race or bizarre mannerism - many players wouldn't consider the possibility that there's even more at play here.
A weird Gnome alchemist who collects broken dolls is a weird Gnome alchemist who collects broken dolls. He's NOT a weird Gnome alchemist vampire who collects broken dolls.
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Invest in the disguise and bluff skills.
Most solutions that rely entirely on magic are easily bypassed with low level magic.
For something less obvious try Shroud of the Daywalker (from the third party campaign Way of the Wicked).
Aura moderate necromancy; CL 9th
Slot none; Price 18,000 gp; Weight 1 lb.
DESCRIPTION
This funeral shroud at first glance appears to be made of the finest silk no doubt in some dark color such as black, burgundy or deepest blue. However upon closer inspection, it reeks of death and corruption.
When worn by the living, this shroud makes the wearer seem to be undead. Nonintelligent undead cannot detect the wearer as if cloaked by hide from undead. Even intelligent undead may fail to notice you unless they succeed at a DC 11 Will save.
When worn by a vampire, however, this shroud has a very different effect. The darkness woven into the cloak shrouds the vampire and allows them to move about during the day. Instead of taking damage from sunlight, they are only dazzled in areas of bright sunlight or within the radius of a daylight spell. This magic item does not free a vampire from its need to sleep however. A vampire who spends hours awake during the day must make up those hours by sleeping in their coffin at night.
Regardless whether living or dead, once per day, as standard action, the wearer may call forth the darkness within the shroud to make them invisible for up to nine minutes.
CONSTRUCTION
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, darkness, hide from undead, invisibility; Cost 9,000 gp
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The Guise of Life Social Talent for Vigilantes grants a Human Social Identity to an undead (or creature with Negative Energy Affinity, like a Dhampir).
Guise of Life (Su): An undead vigilante with this talent gains an additional social identity in the form of one living creature identical to the vigilante’s appearance in life. Successful Knowledge checks reveal information about the vigilante as if he were a living creature, and he counts as living for the purpose of divination spells and effects. He gains no other benefit from appearing to be a living creature, and remains vulnerable to positive energy and spells that effect undead. The vigilante must be a corporeal undead creature to select this talent. Humanoid vigilantes with the negative energy affinity racial trait can also select this talent, gaining a human social identity.
Looks like what you might want, and only requires a 1-level dip into the class.
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How often do players ask about the ambient lighting or the weather? How often do they notice whether or not there are mirrors about?
You haven't specified how much interaction you intend to have, but one option is to simply have the vampire only meet with them on overcast days, or at his/her home where the rooms are all brightly and evenly lit and there are no mirrors about. If they don't have any reason to suspect anything, would they really notice or think anything of the fact that there just always happens to be diffuse lighting when they meet?