Vampire weakness

[Garion Beckett]

Hey guys. I am playing in an evil campaign trying to take over the world so we as players are allowed to go over the top a bit so i have a few questions.
I kind of want to turn my character into a vampire, however we are in the middle of the shackles. So i know how to get around the sunlight problem, but the main problem i am having is the vulnerability to running water. So what would happen if i had an item that gave me a swim speed? Would that cancel that out?

[avr]

A swim speed would help you get out of the water faster, but wouldn't protect you while immersed. Nothing I can think of would; maybe massive healing each round? Not exactly sustainable for long. Either take precautions to avoid falling in (like flight), or resign yourself to going back to your coffin, or don't become a vampire

[Pizza Lord]

I can't think of a typical magic item specifically. Even a necklace of adaptation (which sheathes the wearer in a shell of fresh air) doesn't technically stop contact with liquid, only fumes and gases.

Possibly a creature with the aquatic subtype might be considered a variant and be able to ignore the running water weakness (but would like have another one to replace it, like a shark's blood frenzy or something, but that's a whole other discussion).

Otherwise, some sort of fully-enclosed diving suit possibly, but then it falls on your GM to determine whether the 'being immersed in running water' weakness depends on you getting wet, or is more based on being immersed, like whether a certain amount of SPF sunscreen protects against sunlight weakness or not.

In classical writings, most vampires typically traveled in the cargo hold in their coffins of dirt and just laid low, only coming out to feed for such voyages.

[zza ni]

if you'r in a mostly sea environment campaign, how about taking the vampire variant 'vetala'?
they don't have most of the vampire weakness (like sun, water etc) - only the recoil :
instead of holy symbol they are repelled by prayer for\by good.

The best part - to destroy them you must consecrate and bury them in one hour of the time they were reduced to 0 hp or they come back. kinda hard in the middle of the ocean.
timer start when they first reach 0 hp so continuing to mutilate the body to keep it's hp negative like you do with trolls won't help here, they will actuly have to guard the body and hit it when they think the 1 hour is passed or just keep hitting it constantly if they lost track of time. (if they hit it one round sooner it won't prevent the Vetala from healing up)

[CBDunkerson]

avr wrote:

A swim speed would help you get out of the water faster, but wouldn't protect you while immersed.

Actually, per the template, vampires with a swim speed are immune to the 'running water' weakness.

That said, I don't think a swim speed granted by a magic item would count. My understanding of the intent is that creatures that are native to water shouldn't be impacted.

On the other hand, I wouldn't consider oceans 'running water'... the mythological history was that vampires (and various other evil spirit creatures) could not cross rivers and streams. Think 'Legend of Sleepy Hollow'.

If your GM does consider oceans 'running water', then any chance that your base race could be Undine or something else with a swim speed?

[zza ni]

btw a raw question. does a vampire in bat or wolf form as per polymorph effect loose racial abilities that are form related, would he loose his weaknesses to light and water?

[Kimera757]

Painful... years ago I ran a 3.5 campaign, and a player wanted to be a vampire. I wanted them to be a fleshbound vampire (no weaknesses except sunlight) but they insisted.

The water is such a serious problem that the character becomes almost unplayable. Presumably you could put yourself into a box and your friends could just carry you over water, but that requires trust. (Or maybe you could have a zombie servant handle this for you. What class are you?)

I was going to give support for an item with a swim speed, but...

Quote:

Speed: Same as the base creature. If the base creature has a swim speed, the vampire is not unduly harmed by running water.

[Artofregicide]

I believe there is a magic tattoo that gives you a permanent protective penumbra spell (for sunlight protection).

Depending on the running water interpretation, the ocean will also be a big problem. Personally, I'd rule that it is as the ocean isn't stagnant or still like a pond or pool.

[CBDunkerson]

Kimera757 wrote:

The water is such a serious problem that the character becomes almost unplayable. Presumably you could put yourself into a box and your friends could just carry you over water, but that requires trust.

Note that nothing in the Pathfinder vampire template prevents them from crossing running water. That's the historical lore, but the rules only give them problems for immersion in running water.

Thus, in theory, the problem could be solved with an air bubble... like the one granted by a Necklace of Adaptation.