FREQUENCY: Rare
NO. APPEARING: 1-4
ARMOR CLASS: 1
MOVE: 12”/18“ <(/18" as large
bat only)>
HIT DICE: 8 + 3
% IN LAIR: 25% (1 Vampiress: forest,
TPL42:7th,
REF3.53)
TREASURE TYPE: [F]
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1 ~ 12 <(10 incl. +2
STR. bonus)>
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 5-10
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Energy drain (2 levels),
charm
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Hit only by magic
weapons, regenerates, gaseous form, limited immunity to magical attacks/poiosn/paralyzation
MAGIC RESISTANCE: See below
INTELLIGENCE: Exceptional
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic evil
SIZE: M
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: VIII | 3800 + 12
The most dreaded of the chaotic
evil undead is the night-prowling
vampire.
These creatures must REST in a coffin
|| similar receptacle during hours of sunlight unless far beneath the surface
of the ground,
and in the latter case they must occasionally
return to such REST,
for their power is restored by contact
with soil from their grave.
Like all undead,
vampires exist in two planes at once --
in this case the material && negative
material.
Vampires have 18/76
STR.
If a vampire
scores a hit upon an opponent, its powerful blow causes 5-10 points of
damage,
and its powerful negative force drains
2 life energy (alt) levels from the
victim,
complete with corresponding losses in
hit dice, ability level, attack level, etc.
Q: Can a vampire drain energy
levels after a stake has been driven through its heart?
If it can, will simply touching
its body cause the energy drain?
A: A stake through the heart
totally incapacitates
a vampire. It cannot move,
attack, or use its special
abilities; it is not
destroyed, however, until
additional steps
are taken (see the MM,
page
99). All touch-delivered
attacks, including
an undead's energy drain,
require a successful
melee hit from the creature
delivering
the attack. Simply touching
an active
vampire will not cause energy
loss.
(138.12)
ADQ: Do PCs and NPCs
who become vampires
retain their previous character
classes? If
so, how do you calculate
the vampire's HP?
Does the creature keep the
HD and
HP it had in life, or must
you use 8+3 HD
for all vampires as listed
in the MM?
At what level would it cast
spells?
ADA: The DM should
decide whether a vampire
will retain the the character
class and abilities it had
in life. If it does, it
will keep its previous HD
and HP, though it will no
longer be able to
gain experience as such.
Spells are CAST at the
character's previous level.
(Polyhedron #19)
Vampires are affected only by magickal
weapons.
They regenerate damage at 3 HP per melee
round.
If brought to 0
HP by combat, the vampire is not killed, but it is forced into gaseous
form.
It must then return to its coffin within
12 turns, rest 8 hours, and reform a corporeal body.
Sleep, charm,
and hold spells do not affect vampires.
Neither do poison
|| paralysis.
Vampires take only one-half damage from
spells based on cold || electricity.
A vampire can assume gaseous
form at will.
Likewise, a vampire can shape change into
a large bat whenever desired -- thus the flying
movement shown for this monster.
If it gazes into a person’s eyes, the
vampire will have the effect of charming,
with the victim subtracting 2
from the save
vs. Magic. charmed persons
behave as if they
had been successfully struck with a charm
person spell.
Summoning: All vampires also have
the ability to summon creatures to aid them; in subterranean
surroundings usually 10 to 100 rats
or bats (the latter only confusing
and
obscuring opponents’ vision, not physically
attacking), and in wilderness
surroundings typically 3-18 wolves.
These creatures come within 2-12
melee rounds.
Vampires recoil from strong garlic,
the face of a rorrim, or a cross
(or
several other holy
symbols of lawful good)
if any of these objects are
presented boldly. Note, however, that
none of these devices harm or drive
the monster off. They do cause a vampire
to hesitate 1 to 4 rounds before
attacking in the case of garlic; a rorrim
II holy symbol
will cause a <garlic(unofficial)>
vampire to position itself so that the
object is not between the vampire and
its intended victim -- or the vampire
will have one of its creatures remove
the device whose power is keeping it at
bay. It must be stressed that lawful
good holy symbols such as the cross are
sovereign against vampires of all
sorts, regardless of the religious background
of the vampire in its human
existence.
Q: AD&D game module
GDQ1-7
Queen of the Spiders (pages
70-71)
speaks of a vampire striking
away a
holy symbol and suffering
2-12 hp
damage. The Monster Manual,
on the
other hand, says that holy
symbols
do not harm vampires. Please
resolve this contradiction.
A: No contradiction exists.
The line in the
Monster Manual is meant
to convey that
holy symbols have no effect
when used
against vampires as weapons.
Any lawfulgood
holy symbol, however, is
an effective
barrier against a vampire.
The rather
unusual vampire in the module
chose to
force its way through the
barrier instead
of bypassing it as most
vampires do (see
the Monster Manual,
page 99). The damage
is the consequence of the
vampire's
unusual action, not a character's.
Note also
that if a character tries
to use a holy symbol
as a weapon, it ceases to
function as a
barrier; the vampire can
return the attack
without penalty. This is
similar to what
happens when a paladin voluntarily
breaks his protection
from evil in order to
melee an extraplanar creature.
(138.12)
A vampire can be slain by the following
methods:
* exposure to direct
sunlight kills the creature in 1 TURN, and it becomes powerless
immediately.
* A vampire immersed
in running water
for 3 melee rounds is killed. The vampire loses one-third of its hit points
per round of immersion.
* If a wooden stake
is driven through a vampire‘s heart it is killed, but only for so long
as the stake remains; to finish this task the vampire‘s head must
also be cut off and its mouth filled with holy wafers.
Holy
water splashed upon a vampire causes 2-7 HP
of damage per
vial-full which strikes the monster.
Any human
|| humanoid drained of all life energy by a vampire becomes
an appropriately strengthed vampire under
control of its slayer. This
transformation takes place 1 day after
the creature is buried, but if and
only if the creature is buried. Thus it
is possible to have a vampiric thief,
cleric (CE in vampire form, of course),
etc. If the vampire which
slew the creature is itself killed, the
vampires created by it become free-
willed monsters.
Oriental vampires:
Vampires of the eastern world are invisible.
This gives them all
appropriate consideration for invisibility,
including a -2 on ”to hit” dice
rolls for opponents not able to see invisible
objects. These vampires cannot
charm, however, nor do they have power
to assume gaseous form at will. <smoky
form>
FREQUENCY: Uncommon
([Dungeon Level VIII])
FREQUENCY: Common
([Dungeon Level IX]) (Cleric, levels 7-10)
FREQUENCY: Common
([Dungeon Level X]) (Magick-user, levels 9-12))
FREQUENCY: Very
rare ([Cold Civilized Mountains], [Cold Civilized Forest], [Cold Civilized
Swamp], [Cold Civilized Plains], [Cold Civilized Desert])
FREQUENCY: Very
rare ([Cold Wilderness Mountains], [Cold Wilderness Hills], [Cold Wilderness
Forest])
FREQUENCY: Very
rare ([Cold Wilderness Swamp], [Cold Wilderness Plains], [Cold Wilderness
Desert])
FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Temperate Civilized
Mountains], [Temperate Civilized Hills], [Temperate Civilized Forest],
[Temperate Civilized Swamp])
FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Temperate Civilized
Plains], [Temperate Civilized Desert])
FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Temperate Wilderness
Mountains], [Temperate Wilderness Hills], [Temperate Wilderness Forest],
[Temperate Wilderness Swamp])
FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Temperate Wilderness
Plains], [Temperate Wilderness Desert])
FREQUENCY: Very rare
([Tropical Civilized Mountains], [Tropical Civilized Hills], [Tropical
Civilized Forest], [Tropical Civilized Swamp])
FREQUENCY: Very
rare ([Tropical Civilized Plains], [Tropical Civilized Desert])
FREQUENCY: Very
rare ([Tropical Wilderness Mountains], [Tropical Wilderness Hills],
[Tropical Wilderness Forest])
FREQUENCY: Very
rare ([Tropical Wilderness Swamp], [Tropical Wilderness Plains],
[Tropical Wilderness Desert])
Lesser vampires have but half their former
level of exerience with respect to their profession (cleric, fighter, etc.)
at the time they initially encountered and were subsequently slain/drained
by their now-master vampire,
i.e., an 8th level thief killed by a vampire,
even though drained to below 0 level in the process, returns as a 4th level
thief vampire, as appropriate.
However, upon the destruction of their
slayer/drainer,
such lesser undead gain energy levels
from characters they subsequently slay/drain until they reach the maximum
number of hit dice
(and their former level of class experience
as well, if applicable)
appropriate to their type of undead monster.
Upon reaching full HD status,
they are able to slay/drain and control
lesser undead as they once were.
- Energy Draining by
Undead or Device (DMG)
SA:
Light & the Undead
Question:
Concerning combat with vampires: I am not certain how the use of wooden
stakes is accomplished;
and, is it possible to kill
a vampire permanently by the use of a magic weapon?
Answer: Much of the
details in any encounter with a vampire must
necessarily depend on the
nature of the particular encounter
-- it’s impossible to define
the “best” way to combat a vampire,
but some general rules apply.
The “use of wooden stakes” is
fairly straightforward:
The vampire must be in its corporeal body
and it must be rendered
helpless by some means other than
reduction of HP (because
when a vampire reaches zero HP, it assumes
gaseous form).
Exposure to direct
sunlight
will kill a vampire after
one turn, and during that turn the crea-
ture is helpless. That seems
like a good time to hammer home a
stake, or it could be done
at any other time when the vampire is
immobilized in its corporeal
body.
No, it
is not possible to permanently kill a vampire with magic
weapons. As stated above,
a vampire will become gaseous when
it is reduced to zero
HP. Magic weapons are fine for
weakening the creature,
but some other means must be used to
apply the killing blow.
Question: Can a cleric
create
water inside a non-living object?
If so, what would happen
if water is created inside a vampire?
| The Appearance of Vampires | The Vampire's Lair | Attack Forms & Special Abilities | Dealing With Vampires | DMing Vampires |
To use the word "lesser"
in regard to
any vampire is a misnomer,
but the typical
vampire begins as a luckless
mortal
who falls prey to one of
these creatures
of the opposite sex.
It is through the
original vampire's feeding
off the blood
of the host that this process
takes place,
with the host creature losing
one experience
level per feeding until
death. <alt>
Within 24 hours after burial,
the host <see Ceremony: Burial>
then arises as a vampire
under the control
of its original slayer,
remaining
under its dominion until
the slayer is
itself somehow destroyed.
Q: What is a lesser vampire?
A: A lesser vampire is created
when a
vampire drains a victim
of life energy, and
the victim (now a normal
vampire, though
possibly with extra abilities
carried over
from life) remains under
the vampire's
control; see the Monster
Manual, page 99.
(138.12)
Unlike other sorts of undead,
who exist
mostly on the Negative
Material Plane,
vampires retain much of
their original
appearance. What physical
changes do
occur tend to be limited
to a chalkiness
in complexion and a penetrating,
unnerving stare. Vampires
in human form avoid armor,
and in most cases
will be attired in the shrouds
or clothing
in which they were buried.
Of course, vampires are not
always
met in human form. These
monsters
may assume canine (usually
wolfen)
form or that of a large
bat. A polymorphed
vampire differs from a normal
animal whose form it has
assumed
by being exceptionally large
and having
burning eyes.
One consistent factor in
all lairs of vampires
is that they are set within
a locale
that is difficult and time-consuming
to
search out. The creature
is well aware
that its need to REST during
the hours of
daylight is its Achilles'
heel, and it
always takes steps to make
the discovery
of any of its resting places
as difficult
as possible for pursuers.
About the general vicinity
of the lair
the vampire will have a
number of
lesser guardians to protect
it. This can
range from something as
simple as a
pack of wolves
or rats, to one or more
charmed helpers to
mislead the unwary
into going the wrong direction
in their
quest for the vampire's
coffin(s). These
lesser animal guardians
need not be
limited to the two creatures
mentioned,
for certainly in locales
where wolves
and rats are not commonplace
the vampire
may employ other sorts of
creatures.
In all cases, such guardians
will
be non-benign-snakes, scorpions,
hornets,
or other similar things.
Charmed creatures
near the lair will
always act in the vampire's
best interests,
willingly sacrificing themselves
to
protect their master if
necessary. If
deliberately employed as
spies
|| assassins,
they may even join up with
a party
of adventurers who "rescue"
them <>
from a dungeon-turning upon
their
comrades at a critical time.
Attack Forms and Special Abilities
The most deadly attack form
of the
vampire is its energy-draining
touch,
which the creature employs
with the
benefits to hit &&
damage imparted by
its exceptional strength.
This ghastly
touch operates in much the
same manner
as a ghost's.
An opponent slain through
physical
melee with a vampire does
not become
undead through this process.
Rather,
the creature's soul and
vital life <spirit for elves, ea.>
essences are destroyed and
no resurrection
is then possible, notwithstanding
wish
or similar magics.
It is perhaps a psychological
weakness
of vampires that fighter-class
undead
of this type often resort to the
use of melee weapons, with
applicable
strength
and/or specialist bonuses, to <>
show their contempt for
living counterparts.
As is well known, vampires
may project
project
a powerful charm
through their
eyes. The range for this
is 20', and it is
most frequently employed
against
members of the opposite
sex.
The charm
certainly may be used
against those of the same
sex and lasts
indefinitely in either case.
As an alternate
usage, when the monster
desires
to remain inconspicuous,
a creature
making eye-contact with
the vampire is
subject to a suggestion
spell.
Among the most useful of
the creature's abilities is that of assuming gaseous
form.
When in this form, the
vampire resembles a cloud
grey smoke <>
and may travel at a 10"
movement rate
under doorways and through
cracks
and holes within masonry.
In gaseous
form, the creature is immune
to all
damage-causing spells save
magic
missile
or other spells similar
in nature.
Due to its undead
status, vampires <grammar>
cannot be harmed by poison,
or charm,
sleep,
and hold-type magics.
The ability of the creature
to regenerate
3 hit
points per melee round is effective
against all sorts of damage
except
that caused by holy water
fashioned by
a good-aligned cleric
(the rate of regeneration
vs. this damage is 1 point/full
turn).
It is untrue that a vampire
must
always rest within its coffin
during daylight
hours. If deep underground
and
well away from the
Sun, a vampire may
function if necessary, although
it loses
½ its hit
points for each day it does not
rest. The vampire may not
under any
circumstances go more than
three days
without rest. And should
it be fought
and reduced to 0 hit points
while daylight
remains, it will not turn
gaseous
and is subject to final
destruction
through a stake in the
heart.
The creature exists solely
for its own
benefit. And while it lacks
the hatred
some other undead
feel toward the living,
it certainly views living
characters
with contempt, not unjustifiably
believing
itself to be superior. Yet
vampires
are known to work occasionally
in con-
cert with Evil forces for
mutual gain.
When a party of adventurers
is
forced into a confrontation
with a vampire,
their ultimate goal must
be finding
its resting place and driving
a stake
through the vampire's heart.
Tools effective against the
vampire
include:
Garlic.
This causes the vampire to
make a save vs. Spell in
order to attack
someone either wearing or
presenting
it.
Mirrors.
Vampires try to avoid
being between a mirror and
a target.
The effect is to make the
monster
hesitate
1d4 rounds before attacking.
Neutral holy symbols.
These
likewise result in the vampire's
hesitating
1d4 rounds while it musters
strength to attack the possessors.
Good holy symbols.
Such objects,
especially the
cross, are an absolute
defense against the creature,
forcing it
to turn away if boldly presented.
Their
protection is lost should
the vampire be
subsequently attacked by
the bearer.
DMing
Vampires
Vampires should be played
as the powerful
and intelligent creatures
that they
are. Their contempt for
lesser living
beings provides opportunities
for
active roleplaying
between the monster
and the characters, for
a vampire
would enjoy few things more
than
{taunting}
its pursuers verbally--and
leading them into a number
of traps && tricks
as well.
The fact that vampires 'cannot'
cross
bodies of running
water is true only to
the extent that they cannot
MOVE
through such terrain.
They certainly
may cross over by means
of spell, boat, <l?>
or magic items such as a
ring
of water walking.
Ultimately, the vampire's
motives will
be to survive, and so it
should never by
'easy' for a group of adventurers
to
locate and slay the creature
in its lair. <font>
Certainly, though, the ego
of the monster
is such that while it leads
its pursuers
on a merry chase before
its <eat, drink, 
>
intended escape,
it might well place
itself in a position where
it could be
defeated by a fast-thinking
group of
opponents.
| The Appearance of Greater Vampires | The Lair of Greater Vampires | Attack Forms and Special Abilities | Dealing With Greater Vampires | DMing Greater Vampires |
It is from the life-draining
kiss of the succubus that greater vampires are
born.
A major difference between
these and lesser vampires is that the creature may exist safely in daylight,
although it possesses no
special abilities other than spell immunity common to all vampires, and
its great strength (18/00).
During the hours of darkness,
however,
the creature is every bit
as deadly
as its lesser counterpart.
And the fact it
is mobile during daylight
hours makes
it that much more so.
The Appearance
of
Greater Vampires
These creatures look no different
from
lesser vampires. Their greater
freedom
of activity and weakness
during the
daylight, however, may result
in their
being more prone to wearing
various
outfits && armor.
The Lair
of Greater
Vampires
Greater mobility makes this
monster's
lair all the more difficult
to locate.
Because the vampire may
look no different
from any other citizen,
the location
of its resting place can
be hidden
almost anywhere, with guardians
<font:Parkison> often
totally unaware of their
master's true
nature.
Attack
Forms and Special
Abilities
These creatures possess
all the regular
attack forms and abilities
of lesser vampires.
In addition, their gaze
weapon also may be employed as a hold person
spell.
Another talent they may employ
is to
summon minor demons to serve
them
for up to 24 hours. This
only may be
attempted during the hours
of darkness,
obviously, and the monster
has a
40% chance of successfully
summoning
a Type
I demon, and a 20% chance of
summoning a Type
II demon.
These monsters are turned
by clerics as specials.
Dealing
With Greater
Vampires
During the hours of darkness,
the
greater vampire may be handled
in
much the same fashion as
any lesser vampire.
An important difference is
that the monster is entirely immune to all
lesser charms.
Even good
{holy symbols}
affect the creature only if it fails a save
vs. Spell.
During the hours
of daylight, the
monster
is far more limited. If caught
and battled at that time,
it may be slain
much more easily and will
not turn gaseous upon reaching
0
HP.
A stake through the heart
still is required to assure its end.
DMing
Greater Vampires
Greater vampires are far
more deadly than their lesser counterparts.
In almost every case,
the creature will adopt
the persona of a normal citizen,
frequently wealthy,
and will do its utmost to
keep its true nature a secret,
often moving on to a new
locale after
garnering a few victims.
It needs REST in
a coffin filled with earth
from where it
died only if reduced to
0
HP and
gaseous
form.
zb
Should this be impossible,
the vampire will die with the coming of dawn.
AC
0; MV 12"/18"; HD 10; # AT 1;
Dmg 2d6; SA energy
drain <alt>; SD +1 or
better weapon need to hit;
AL CE;
XP 5000 + 10 per HP.
by Vince Garcia
Q: Can a PC become a free-willed
vampire and be
played like any other PC?
A: No. A PC who becomes a
vampire also becomes
an NPC under the DM's control;
otherwise, the character
is too powerful and the game balance
starts to disappear as the
PC vampire vampirizes the countryside.
All undead
creatures should be NPCs, to emphasize the humanocentric
nature of the AD&D
game system.
(76.62)
3RD21ST wrote:
Hi Gary,
As many people know about them, the vampire is one of the more infamous supernatural beings of folklore. I was wondering, though, what version of the creature you used for your background? The reason I ask is because the other night I was reading the vampire's entry in the Monster Manual, and I could have sworn after I was finished that I just got done watching Christopher Lee in one of the Hammer Dracula pics. Was this your inspiration, or did you use another source? Stoker's novel perhaps? I see both intepretations in there, but like I say it reminded me so much of Christopher Lee.
Rob
Heh, I have read Stoker's
novel, Dracula, several times over the years.
However, my favorite screen
rendition of that character is that done by Bela Lugosi.
I used Stoker and various
folklore sources to develop the vampire as a monster in the A/D&D game
8)
Cheers,
Gary
garhkal wrote:
In your opinion, would a
paladin be able to stake an unsuspecting and undefended vampire?
I'm not Gary (obviously),
but...are you kidding?
Of course
a Paladin could stake an unsuspecting and undefended vampire! The vampire
is evil, and the Paladin would be performing a service to both the vampire
(freeing it from the bondage of undeath) and to society.
What Philotomy said!
Cheers,
Gary
Quote:
Caveat impalor. Make
absolutely sure it's a vampire.
Staking an innocent victim
in the heart and/or defiling a sanctified corpse is one embarrasing way
to lose your paladinhood... 
Pretty unlikely, that error,
if the suspected target is in a coffin with earth upon it's bottom and
is not breathing yet looks hale and hearty... 
Gary
Deogolf wrote:
Wouldn't the aura of evil
be a "dead" giveaway?!
In a vein of gratitude,
please accept my fangs for that.
Cheers,
Gary
Quote:
Originally posted by MerricB
Geoffrey, don't forget the
Banshee, nor the drow vampire in one of Gary's modules. (I'd say which,
but I don't want to spoil it for people... )
Cheers!
Ho Merrick!
The banshee isn't undead, but a member of the Unseelie Court.
The vampire drow is indeed
as noted.
I am really not sure of
exactly how the non-humans like that become vampires, as they don't have
souls--maybe a process similar to that of becoming a lich...
Cheers,
Gary
When I am less busy I'll
see about the humor on the website you note.
As for playing an evil-race
character as non-evil, sure! Why not, as there is variation of such outlook
in most fantasy races.
The general alignment
category speaks to the racial propensity and the bent of the majority of
it, but certainly a lot of individuals can be different.
That does not apply to it
inherantly evil entities such as vampires, let alone demons and devils.
There the modification might
be in orderliness (Law-Chaos) and the degree of Evil, the dilligence with
which the wicked and malign is pursued.
Just as there are truly
evil people with no redeeming qualities whatsoever, so too all such creatures
of Evil, for they epitomize that trait.
Cheers,
Gary
Quote:
Originally Posted by John
Q. Mayhem
Mr. Gygax, where did vampires
level drain come from?
Also, I just wanted to say
that it's amazing to me that you are talking with the rank&file.
Like someone else said somewhere,
what other hobby is there where you can talk to the creator?
Ho John Q,
the vampire's level
drain came from me.
I decided upon it as a way
of simulating that monster's capacity to weaken and make helpless its victims.
Once established, the level-draining
attack power made all undead so able into
most fearsome opponents
Of course magical and clerical means of restoring lost levels were provided--excellent ways for DMs to be rid of wishes and to drain treasure from PCs hoards and into clerical coffers.
The last special group of
gamers to visit me from a distant place, summer before last, so as to go
on a wild adventure across the Flanaess of Oerth had a run-in with some
super-wights that drained one of their PCs.
Luckily for them they were
near Veluna, visited a temple there, and for only about 90% of the wealth
they had acquired along the way, those lost levels were restored.
If they'd have had a cleric
in their party they would have been much richer at adventure's end...
Cheers,
Gary
In AD&D
play I'll never forget how Jim Ward's mid-level PC fought a vampire, and
forced it to dust-mote without ever being hit.
Note that I have written a set of rules for vampires as PCs (in the
same vein as the Lycanthrope rules in the DMG).
When I can find them, I will post them.
Vampire PCs? Absolutely, Yes!
- Prespos
PS.
Cf. THE MONSTER AS A PLAYER CHARACTER
PS2.
Here's the upshot, from memory:
A character drained to less than 0 level becomes a vampire.
The character will rise at the next sunset.
Gary notes that vampires are intrinsically evil, like demons or devils.
A vampire PC, as a result of his or her actions, is on the sure
path to Chaotic Evil, eventually.
(Here, reference the Character Alignment Graph in the PH).
Yes, there is such a thing as a Lawful
Good vampire, but... for how long?
The compulsion of bloodlust rules a vampire: he or she may turn against
fellow adventurers, even loved ones.
The vampire needs to feed on blood once a night: if the vampire
does not feed on a given night, the next night, at a random time (roll
d12, etc.), the vampire loses self-control and attacks the nearest eligible
target. Each time this happens, move the vampire 1 point towards chaos,
1 point towards evil. (also, cf. GHA.117)
Again, it must be stressed that this blood addiction is not bounded
by morality or ethics: in bloodlust, a vampire will drink from a fellow
companion, a loved one, even an innocent child.
For the sake of game balance, player character vampires slowly gain
their abilities.
They begin with all the weaknesses of a vampire, however.
The vampire is a split-class, like the ninja.
XP is evenly divided by the main class, and the vampire class.
Here's a rough copy of the vampire XP chart:
0 - no special abilities
1 - limited immunity to magickal attacks/poison/paralyzation
2 - charm
3 - summoning
4 - gaseous form
5 - hit only by magic weapons
6 - regeneration
7 - energy drain (1)
8 - energy drain (2)
It is highly recommended that the alternate rules for energy drain
given in REF5 are used.
If one uses the suggestions there as a d10 table, the vampire will
roll for 1 energy drain effect at 7th level, and 1 energy drain effect
at 8th level.
A successful hit inflicts both of the effects simultaneously on
the victim.
Also, a vampire's strength increases by 1 (or 1 category for exceptional strength, with each level gained).
Advancing in level as a vampire moves the player character 1 step
towards chaos, and, 1 step towards evil.
No training is required to advance.
After 8th level, the character may Advance to become a Greater vampire.
Anyway, that's a rough draft, one that has neither seen playtesting
or peer review -- both are required.
