| Good Evening | Varieties of Vampires | - | Hearts of Darkness | Vampire (Monster Manual / REF5) |
| Dragon | - | - | - | Monsters |
| Other Vampire Forms | Immunity to Spells | Regeneration | The "Lesser" Vampire | Summoning and Charming |
| - | - | Vampire (Monster Manual / REF5) | - | - |
| Dragon | Monsters | Best of Dragon, vol. II | Dragon #30 | Vampire (Dragon magazine) |
This is the first installment
in what we plan to make into a monthly
feature. From the title,
you may notice a connection to AD&D. If you
read the forwards and
prefaces in a number of the D&D and AD&D <PH,
DMG>
<make direct link>
books, you will notice
the author’s name mentioned in most, if not all, of
them. That he can speak
with authority is authenticated there. —ED.
There is much information
on the Vampire, but just as much is left unsaid and unquantified when the
details of the play of the monster are studied.
While many of the things
stated about the Vampire herein may seem obvious, nevertheless arguments
on each of these topics have arisen in this DM’s experience.
The Vampire has 8 + 3 HD,
and once calculated the HP total will not vary; thus, when the monster
regenerates in its coffin a new HP total is not generated.
A Vampire can have its minions
buy a figure it has killed so that human can rise as a Vampire on the next
night.
Note that humanoids and
demihumans can NOT become vampires.
In theory, since the “draining”
of a figure is due to the Negative Material Plane force, a humanoid or
demihuman “drained” by a Vampire might become a lesser Undead that exists
on the Negative Material Plane.
However, this makes the
Vampire too strong and is not allowed.
It should be noted that
a Vampire is unlikely to want too many other “lesser” Vampires under his/her
control.
Thus the number of vampires
under the control of a full 8 + 3 h.d. Vampire should be limited to no
more than four at one time.
If this rule is not observed,
entire small towns would be full of Vampires in the span of a few short
weeks!
Furthermore, “lesser” Vampires
will not create other “lesser” Vampires answerable to themselves; only
the Full Vampire will create “lesser” Vampires as a matter of will and
choice. Inadvertent creation of a Vampire is possible in either case if
a body killed by a Vampire is buried and subsequently the body is dug up
(assuming that the burying of the Vampire’s kill does not properly prevent
the body from rising again as a Vampire).
This brings up the point
of how a body can be properly “disposed of” after being killed by a Vampire
or a “lesser” Vampire.
This process should be a
simple one and accomplishable in a few ways:
1. The body and head can
be separated;
2. The body can be burned;
3. The body can be disposed
of just as a Vampire would be disposed of; or
4. The body is drained of
blood and either a Bless,
Prayer,
Chant
or Exorcism is said over the corpse.
Other reasonable means can be ruled on by the DM.
The Vampire’s existence on
the Negative Material Plane is such that normal Invisibility can be foiled
by his/her ability to see into another plane.
My personal ruling in this
regard is a range of 40 feet with a 50% chance per direct viewing (that
is, looking right at the invisible creature/object) of seeing the invisible
object.
Naturally the size of the
invisible object can vary this percentage.
The Vampire also has a 5%
natural chance to observe Invisibility
due to its level and intelligence (see the Dungeon Masters’ Guide).
The Vampire has the ability
to become a Giant Bat and also a
Gaseous Cloud at will.
This transformation is very
rapid (taking only 1–4 segments with the 4 segments only being used if
the Vampire is surprised) and the new form can operate after but a 1-segment
delay; this applies to the alternate forms of Bat to Cloud, Cloud to Vampire,
etc.
In the Bat and Cloud forms
the abilities of the Vampire are, at best, poorly defined.
First of all, the Vampire
can not Drain, Summon, Charm or use its physical strength in either form.
Changing to another form
will cause all carried items to change also.
As a Bat, the monster has the following statistics:
Hit Dice (for attack purposes)
2 + 1;
Hit points are based upon
its full hit die potential;
Move 18”;
Damage per attack 1–2 but
not draining ability;
susceptibility to spells
is just the same as in Vampire form (a full list of spell immunities follows);
a magic weapon IS needed
to inflict damage.
The Bat can see with the
Vampire’s eyes (i.e., it has Infravision) but it can not detect Invisibility.
The vampire does not regenerate
in the Bat form.
The Bat has only minor existence
on the Negative Material Plane, so there is no draining of levels or strength
by the Bat’s attack (touch).
The Bat form never has any
abilities of the Vampire’s former profession in life.
The Bat is not an animal
in any way, so spells affecting animals only do not come into play.
However, if the Vampire
summons Bats and then turns into a Bat himself/herself, he/she can lead
the summoned bats in some direction, even away from a party.
It can not Command the bats
in the classic sense; it can only obtain reaction by its own example, which
the bats will mimic.
In Gaseous form, the Vampire has different abilities and characteristics.
Its sense of vision is reduced
and it can not see with 20/20 vision nor with Infravision; a slight blurring
effect comes into play.
The Gaseous Cloud can move
at 6” (faster than the Potion-bestowed Gaseous Form).
It has no hit dice, attack
abilities, regeneration abilities, summon abilities, harm abilities or
drain abilities.
It is immune to all magic
except Fireball, Lightning Bolt (½ damage), Cold (½ damage),
Air Elementals (double damage; this includes Djinni Whilrwinds) and Gust
of Wind (which can
overcome the 6” movement
speed).
Even if the Vampire is “scattered
to the four winds” it can re-form, given time (1-100 rounds; the decision
must be based upon conditions).
If it is split up and cannot
re-form (part is in a container like a bottle, or part is on one side of
a wall and part on the other with the connecting hole blocked), the Vampire
is not killed unless he/she is exposed to sunlight or unless he/she was
on the way back to his/her coffin because of a forced assumption of the
Gaseous Form.
If underground, the two
parts could remain apart for years and still re-form; however, if the coffin
has been disposed of while he/she was split up, then another matter arises.
In Cloud form the Vampire
is absolutely free to move as he/she chooses if he/she has not been forced
into Gaseous Form (i.e., lost all hit points due to combat).
If the Vampire is forced
into Gaseous Form, he/she must make for his/her coffin by a reasonably
direct route (no going out of the way to cross a river or bog).
The Cloud form can re-form
quickly; it can also ooze through any space that is not airtight.
It can even seep through
soil that is not too moist at the rate of 1” per hour.
In Gaseous Form, the Vampire
has almost no Negative Plane existence, but the link is not completely
broken.
Note that if hard-pressed,
a Vampire may break off melee by assuming Gaseous Form.
It is a wise decision to
set a hit point total at which the Vampire will automatically go Gaseous
in the next melee round.
The Vampire, is, after all,
a very intelligent monster and he/she will not waste himself/
herself on Forced Gaseous
Form if he/she can avoid it. During forced
assumption of Gaseous Form,
the Vampire is most vulnerable, since
he/she can not do anything
at all for 8 hours after entering his/her coffin
in the Cloud form. Note
also that if the Vampire is beyond the 2-hour
limit of travel to reach
his coffin, he/she will most certainly assume
Gaseous Form before being
forced into the situation!
Note that if the Vampire
takes damage from one of the listed spells
while in “Free will Gaseous
Form” it could lose all hit points (remember,
it does not regenerate in
this form) and be forced to go to its coffin at
once.
The next subject concerning
the Vampire is its immunities to various
spells and spell forms.
Clearly the Vampire is immune to Sleep,
all
Charms, all Holds, Poison
and Paralyzation. In like manner, it is ob-
viously immune to Death
Magic. Under the realm of Charms and Holds,
it is a logical extension
that Suggestion will not work either. However,
arguments from two different
points of view can be offered in the caseof
Fear, Confusion, Magic Jar;
Cause Wounds, Disease, or Blindness;
Friends, Web, Stinking Cloud,
Enfeeblement, Illusions, Polymorphs,
Feeblemind, Raise Dead,
Reincarnation, Power Word Stun and a few
others I have yet to run
into.
I rule that the following
spells do not affect a Vampire, as extensions
of its normal immunities;
Fear, Friends, Stinking Cloud, Illusions that
charm in some way, Raise
Dead and Reincarnation.
Spells that fully effect
a Vampire are Confusion, Magic Jar, Cause
Wounds, Cause Blindness
(if the Vampire must be touched, the loss of 2
levels is automatic — figure
who delivers a spell by touch must do so
with the bare hand, never
with a gloved or covered hand!), Feeblemind
and Power Word Stun.
Spells that I rule as variable
in effect are Cause Disease (the Vampire
can throw this one off by
returning to his/her coffin for 8 hours of rest);
Web (the Vampire has two
ways out; Gaseous Cloud, and because
he/she exists on another
plane the Web can, at best, be half strength
against the monster — one-fourth,
if a saving throw is made. It takes a
Vampire but 1–4 segments
to become Gaseous, but he/she must remain
in that form for a full
round before taking normal or Bat shape.);
Enfeeblement (since the
monster is already dead and since the spell is
based upon Cold, I rule
that this spell has only half effect, or no effect if
the normal saving throw
is made.); Polymorphs (since the Vampire is an
inherent shapechanger —
though limited — as to what forms it can take —
polymorphing the monster
is only temporary in effect. The Vampire can
shapechange back to normal
form, Bat or Cloud on the next melee
round. It is illogical to
have an Undead become an elf, a red dragon or a
beetle, since by its non-living
nature the resultant polymorph will also be
“non-living”. Thus, a polymorph
of an Undead always results in an
Undead, but the polymorph
would not have the powers and abilities of
the new or old form, save
for locomotion and speech. This rule prevents
an evil MU from making a
Shadow in a Wraith, e.g.). It is also noted that
Vampires take but half damage
from Cold and Electricity, but of course
if a saving throw is made
the damage is one-fourth. Note that a “Flame
Tongue” or a “Frost Brand”
sword does not prevent normal regener-
ation of hit points to a
Vampire.
Regeneration
Regeneration is the next
topic for discussion. The Vampire does not
regenerate any points in
Bat or Gaseous Form. It must be in “human”
shape to regenerate. Note
that regeneration, as well as other Vampire
powers, are possible deep
underground regardless of the time of day
outside.
I rule the following way
when it comes to what constitutes “deep
underground.” If the Vampire
is abroad, goes outside, or sees daylight
(he/she does not have to
be exposed to daylight) he/she must return to
the coffin at the next daylight
period and must remain there through the
day. However, if the coffin
lid is opened in a non-daylight/sunlight
situation, the Vampire can
defend him/herself! Thus, the old canard
about attacking a Vampire
during the day is false!
Remember, this is not the
Bram Stoker Vampire, this is the Advanced
Dungeons
& Dragons Vampire. The AD&D Vampire drains levels due
to negative plane coexistence
and does not necessarily bite the victim.
Even if “far beneath the
surface of the ground,” the Vampire must
return to his/her coffin
eventually — I rule once each week. If the
Vampire does not return
to his/her coffin: 1. Within a week if under-
ground the full time; 2.
Each night if exposed to the outside (including
seeing daylight), or 3.
Within 3 hours of being reduced by melee
(damaged) to zero points,
the monster crosses over to the Negative
Plane exclusively and can
not return. On the Negative Plane the monster
is virtually powerless,
as its powers come from the coexistence on two
planes. If he/she does go
to the Negative Plane, all carried items remain
behind.
The next big area of argument
comes over what type of monster
results when a Vampire kills
a human, the human is buried, and then is
unearthed the next night
(or later). How the figure is killed is one major
bone of contention: Does
the figure die due to damage or due to being
drained to zero level? If
the figure dies due to damage (not all necessarily
from the Vampire), then
the figure can retain abilities from his/her
former profession. If a
12th-level Wizard, for example, is wounded by
some form of attack and
is then touched by a Vampire such that he
becomes a Necromancer but
is also killed due to damage of the
Vampire’s touch, the resultant
monster will be a “lesser” Vampire who
is also a Necromancer!
This Vampire must read his
spells just as before and rest periods are
the same but are only allowed
in the coffin. Since the figure is not alive,
however, he may not again
become a Wizard by experience, nor may
he learn new spells. Furthermore,
items that require a touch of a human
hand (like a Wand, for example)
will not function in his hand since he is
not alive. As DM, you can
rule in numerous ways as to which items need
8
the touch of a living hand
(body) in order to function. This rule limits the
power of the Vampire Spellcaster.
If the figure dies by full draining, then
all former profession abilities
and levels are lost — the figure is a vampire,
nothing more. It should
be noted that a Vampire does not willingly want
a “lesser” vampire whose
profession level is very high (7th level or
higher) since if the “lesser”
ever gains full Vampire status he/she may
not be friendly to his/her
former master.
Exactly what is a “lesser”
Vampire (“. . . appropriately strengthed
vampire under control of
its slayer.” AD&D Monster Manual, page
99)?
He or she is the monster
created by a Full Vampire after killing/draining
the victim. This monster
follows, to some degree, the rules set for
Negative Plane Undead.
If a Wight kills a figure,
a “. . . half-strength wight under (its)
control . . .” will result.
The same statement is made for the Wraith and
the Spectre. Yet, “If the
vampire which slew the creature is itself killed,
the vampires created by
it become free willed monsters.”
Somehow all of this must
be quantified. First of all, the “lesser”
vampire is under the control
of the Full Vampire even if killed by another
“lesser” vampire. As long
as the Full Vampire maintains control, the
“lesser’s” will is subject
to his/her command.
Now the questions arise;
is the “lesser” vampire half-strength or not,
and if it is released to
become “free willed” does it then grow to full
strength? I’d say that the
Vampire is ¾ strength, and if control is lost the
vampire grows to Full Vampire
status. To put this in rule form: A
“lesser” Vampire must be
uncontrolled for 7 days before it will become
“free willed.” Thus, if
the Full Vampire gives commands or is present
within 7 days the “lesser”
vampire remains a “lesser” vampire. If the
“lesser” becomes “free willed”
it will take two full days to grow to Full
Vampire status. Once it
has “free will,” the Full Vampire can not regain
control, though it can have
all of its statements take on the power of a
Suggestion which the new
“free willed Vampire” can Save versus.
While this may seem like
a contradiction of the “charm” rule, consider
the circumstances of the
exchange and the existing relationship. Note
that the Full Vampire did
not have to Charm the “lesser” vampire while
the “lesser” was still alive!
The statistics for the “lesser”
Vampire are as follows; 6 + 2 hit dice,
A.C. 2, Move 12/18, Damage
per attack 5-10; Special Attacks: Energy
Drain*; Special Defenses:
+1 or better to hit but Silver does half
damage; Magic Resistance:
As discussed in this article and as with a Full
Vampire.
The importance differences
are due to the fact that the “lesser” does
not exist as strongly on
the Negative Material Plane as the Full Vampire.
If uncontrolled, the “lesser”
has the “free will” to gain full Negative
Plane access. Note the fewer
hit dice. The Energy Drain of the “lesser”
vampire is one level, plus
a 50% chance for a second level to be drained.
Note that Silver weapons
do half damage. Finally, the “lesser” Vampire
IS subject to a Raise Dead
spell, if it fails its saving throw versus magic.
The “lesser’s” former profession
abilities are retained with the obvious
exceptions of those abilities
defined by alignment. (There is no such
thing as a Vampire-Paladin.)
A “lesser” vampire’s physical
strength is tied to its negative plane
existence, so a “lesser”
vampire does have a physical strength of 18/76.
However, alignment and intelligence
are open to some interpretation.
If the figure in life is
stupid and foolish and his/her alignment is
neutral, lawful or good,
the transition to becoming a Vampire should not
automatically change his/her
intelligence or alignment. Obviously a
Vampire is evil, and that
change is automatic. But a “lesser” vampire
can view evil from a lawful
or neutral posture, at least initially. Eventually
he/she will become chaotic,
but this could take a period of time. I allow
the monster a saving throw
taken weekly to see if the alignment change
occurs.
Intelligence/Wisdom is another
matter. If, in life, the figure is Smart
or Wise, then the resultant
“lesser” vampire can have “exceptional”
intelligence of 15–16. If
the figure is not too bright then the resultant
vampire should not be too
bright either. The Vampire can acquire
“cunning,” but that should
be worth no more than 2–8 points of
Intelligence or Wisdom.
I raise the subject of intelligence
because if Vampires used all of their
intelligence and were lawful
too, they likely would rule entire sections of
the planet, if not the entire
planet! Played intelligently, a Vampire would
1) accumulate at least two
coffins; 2) create a few “lessers” to “guard
the fort,” 3) use their
charming powers to gain minions; 4) never fight
until melee does produce
Forced Gaseous Form; and 5) use summoned
and charmed monsters to
weaken opposition before the Full Vampire
him/herself enters the battle,
etc.
A Vampire can go on for many
hours picking away at a party before
a final outcome is assured,
one way or the other. If a Vampire knows
his/her coffin is threatened
and it is his/her last one, he/she will become
extremely clever. Yet before
any Vampire makes a really clever defense,
the DM should have him/her
make a saving throw to reflect his/her
chaotic nature. In this
way, the party has a better chance.
Finally, the Vampire can summon and charm.
The Vampire must be
limited in its summoning
ability, or thousands of rats and hundreds of
wolves will appear. I allow
a Vampire only three summons each night
and there must be at least
a full hour between each. I contend that this
summons is of the magical
Monster
Summoning type and thus the
argument about how many
wolves, bats and rats are in the area is not
germane. If the wolves,
bats and rats are available and within 2–12
melee rounds, then they
will come, of course.
What are the statistics of these summoned monsters?
BATS:
90% of the time they should be the mundane sort that
“hang around” in caves,
bell towers, etc. They have 1–4 hit points, are
Armor Class 7 (due to size
and speed), move 12” (but usually flurry
about figures when a Vampire
summons them), do “inadvertent”
damage of 1 point 50% of
the time — if and only if at least 5 are
swarming around a single
figure and the Armor Class of the victim
indicates a hit. Swarms
reduce the ability “to hit” by 3 points. 10% of
the time, however, 1 Vampire
Bat per 10 bats (round down) may
appear. It is 1 hit die
A.C. 8, moves slower, 9”, and does 1 point of
damage per hit. In addition,
if it does it drains 1–4 points of blood just as
a Stirge does but then flies
away after 8 points are drained.
RATS:
90% of the time they should be the mundane sort that
scurries about in dungeons,
though they will always be especially large
rats. 1–4 hit points, A.C.
8, bite causes 1 point of damage (no change of
disease). But 10% of the
time (and only in especially deep dungeons)
Giant Sumatran Rats will
appear, as per the Monster Manual. The
quantity of these Giant
Rats is 7–70 and not 10–100.
WOLVES:
Their type should be a function of the climate. If in polar
regions, Winter
Wolves should appear, but only 2–7 would come. In
other areas the chance of
the normal wolf is 70% for the full 3–18 in
number (see the Monster
Manual); however, 30% of the time 2-14
(1d6 + 1d8) Dire Wolves
will appear.
Lastly,
we come to the Charm ability of a Vampire. When is a
“glance met?” Can it be
avoided? I use 1d20 for the figure Meleeing the <link to the article
about Gaze Weapons, here>
Vampire and 1d12 for the
Vampire (the case in which a Vampire meets
someone casually can easily
be adjudicated). If the 12-sided die equals
or exceeds the roll on the
20-sided die the glance has been met. If the
Vampire is surprised use
1d6; if the victim is surprised use 1d8 for
him/her also. The victim,
in melee, can purposefully avoid the glance by
not facing the monster directly.
Thus the Vampire will use 1d8 versus
the player’s 1d20 but the
player is then –2 to hit the vampire and
his/her own Armor Class
is 2 levels lower. The player can’t hit his/her
opponent as easily, and
since his/her own anticipation when attacked in
melee is inhibited by not
facing the monster, his/her Armor Class suffers.
When the Vampire does Charm,
the victim immediately ceases
hostility — no verbal command
need be given. This Charm is far more
powerful than a Charm Person
spell, but obvious self-destruction will
not be allowed. The charm
is so powerful that the victim will fight his
friends (at –2 to hit due
to his/her zombie-like condition) and even
allow him/herself to be
drained of levels by the characteristic Vampire
bite.
Hopefully, I haven’t missed
too much, but every DM knows how
“inventive” players can
be. A little common sense, regardless of what
the textbooks omit or gloss
over, is fully the prerogative of the
Dungeonmaster.
9
Varieties
of Vampires
by R.P. Smith
| - | - | - | - | Vampire (Monster Manual / REF5) |
| Dragon | Monsters | Best of Dragon, vol. II | Dragon #30 | Vampires (Dragon magazine) |
-
| Asanbosam (Africa) | Burcolakas (Greece) | Catacano (Crete, Rhodes) | Lobishumen (Brazil) | Ekimmu (Assyria) |
| Blautsauger (Bosnia-Herzegovina) | Mulo (Serbia) | Alp (Saxony) | Anananngel (Philippines) | Krvopijac (Bulgaria) |
| Ch'ing-Shih (China) | Vlkodlak (Serbia) | Bruxsa (Portugal) | Nosferat (Rumania) | - |
After considerable research
I have found several different types of vampires from classical legends
around the world, and arranged them in
D&D format. I have not
included all known vampires, just the more
interesting ones.
Number appearing, armor class,
hit dice, and treasure are the same
for all vampires. Normal
weapons will not hurt any vampire. All types of
vampires will avoid mirrors,
garlic, or crosses. With one exception, all
vampires will go into gaseous
form if they lose all their hit points by
magic.
One must also consider the
question of origin. If people can only
become vampires through
the bite of a vampire, where did the first one
come from? According to
the legends, the means can range from a
simple death-bed curse and
excommunication, through ancestry (s.g.
one type was to be an Albanian
of Turkish origin, another was to have
red hair), through witchcraft,
to violent death. The latter one is the
easiest method for D&D.
Hence, any body left unguarded without a
Bless spell from a cleric
will become a vampire within seven days.
FREQUENCY: Rare (jungle,
plains)
NO. APPEARING: 1-4
ARMOR CLASS: 1
MOVE: 12"/0
HIT DICE: 9 (men), 8 (women),
7 (children)
% IN LAIR: 25%
TREASURE TYPE: F
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1 bite,
2 claws ~ 12
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-6,1-8,1-10/bite
plus 2 levels according to size, 1-4/claw
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Energy
drain (2 levels), charm <alt>
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Hit only
by magic weapons, regenerates, gaseous
form, limited immunity to magical attacks/poison/paralyzation
MAGIC RESISTANCE: See below
INTELLIGENCE: Exceptional
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic evil
SIZE: M
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: VIII |
3800 + 12
Men (9 hit dice), women (8
hit dice), or children (7 hit dice) who look normal except for a pair of
books instead of
feet. They can charm at
minus 3, (except against clerics, whom they
avoid) and can throw a single
sleep spell per night. They can call 3-18
leopards or 2-12 tigers.
Only a cleric can kill the asanbosam.
FREQUENCY: Rare (mountains)
NO. APPEARING: 1-4
ARMOR CLASS: 1
MOVE: 12"/18"
HIT DICE: 8+3
% IN LAIR: 25%
TREASURE TYPE: F
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1 ~ 12
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-10 plus
2 levels
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Energy
drain (2 levels), charm <alt>
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Hit only
by magic weapons, regenerates, gaseous
form, limited immunity to magical attacks/poison/paralyzation
MAGIC RESISTANCE: See below
INTELLIGENCE: Exceptional
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic evil
SIZE: M
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: VIII |
3800 + 12
It has a swollen,
tense,
hard skin.
It can scream once per night,
deafening all in hearing
range for 24 hours,
no save.
It can also kill,
not only by draining life
levels,
but by naming its victim
by name and commanding the victim to perform in a fatal action.
It can imitate any voice
it hears,
with as much of a chance
of being detected as an assassin has of being discovered in disguise.
It controls 10-100 rats,
but no wolves.
To defeat it,
a foe must cut off and burn
its head.
FREQUENCY: Rare (mountains,
forest)
NO. APPEARING: 1-4
ARMOR CLASS: 1
MOVE:
HIT DICE: 8+3
% IN LAIR: 25%
TREASURE TYPE: F
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1 ~ 12
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 5-10
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Energy
drain (2 levels), charm <alt>
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Hit only
by magic weapons, regenerates, gaseous
form, limited immunity to magical attacks/poison/paralyzation
MAGIC RESISTANCE: See below
INTELLIGENCE: Exceptional
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic evil
SIZE: M
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: VIII |
3800 + 12
Varieties
of Vampires +
This creature only has one
nostril;
otherwise it looks like
a common vampire.
To find its grave,
send a woman on a black
foal through the suspected area.
Where the foal refuses to
go is where it is buried.
To defeat it,
chain it to its coffin with
a rope of wildflowers (which may eventually break),
or have a MU,
holding a cross,
order the vampire's soul
into a bottle of blood and then throw it into a fire.
FREQUENCY: Rare (mountains)
NO. APPEARING: 1-4
ARMOR CLASS: 1
MOVE: 12"/18"
HIT DICE: 8+3
% IN LAIR: 25%
TREASURE TYPE: F
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1 spit,
1 bite ~ 12
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-12/spit,
1-10 plus 2 levels/bite
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Energy
drain (2 levels), charm <alt>
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Hit only
by magic weapons, regenerates, gaseous
form, limited immunity to magical attacks/poison/paralyzation
MAGIC RESISTANCE: See below
INTELLIGENCE: Exceptional
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic evil
SIZE: M
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: VIII |
3800 + 12
Varieties
of Vampires +
Always grinning with very
white teeth.
When not sucking blood,
the catacano is busy doing toothpaste commercials. It spits blood (see
giant
slug for chance of hitting) which causes
horrible burns. It can charm
at minus 2. To defeat: burn its nails, boil its
head in vinegar, or submerge
its body in salted water.
Lobishumen
(Brazil)
FREQUENCY: Rare (jungle)
NO. APPEARING: 1-4
ARMOR CLASS: 1
MOVE: 15"/0"
HIT DICE: 8+3
% IN LAIR: 25%
TREASURE TYPE: F
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1 ~ 12
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-10 plus
2 levels
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Energy
drain (2 levels), charm <alt>
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Hit only
by magic weapons, regenerates, gaseous
form, limited immunity to magical attacks/poison/paralyzation
MAGIC RESISTANCE: See below
INTELLIGENCE: Exceptional
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic evil
SIZE: M
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: VIII |
3800 + 12
Varieties
of Vampires +
It looks like a small, stumpy,
hunch-backed
monkey with a yellow face,
bloodless lips, black teeth, bushy beard, and
plush-covered feet. It can
charm at minus 4 and makes its victims (all
women) into nymphomaniacs,
if they survive. Women killed by a
lobishumen while under its
charm become succubi. There is a 60%
chance that any woman who
doesn’t die while charmed by a lobishumen will be a nymphomaniac permanently.
To defeat: Get it drunk,
crucify it to a tree, then
stab it with a stake through the heart.
FREQUENCY: Rare (desert)
NO. APPEARING: 1-4
ARMOR CLASS: 1
MOVE: 12"/18"
HIT DICE: 8+3
% IN LAIR: 25%
TREASURE TYPE: F
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1 ~ 12
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-10 plus
2 levels
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Energy
drain (2 levels), charm <alt>
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Hit only
by magic weapons, regenerates, gaseous
form, limited immunity to magical attacks/poison/paralyzation
MAGIC RESISTANCE: See below
INTELLIGENCE: Exceptional
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic evil
SIZE: M
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: VIII |
3800 + 12
Varieties
of Vampires +
Invisible even while it attacks,
it can charm at
minus 1. It can also magic
jar its victim. To exorcise the vampire in this
state, a clerical dispel
evil is needed, with a 50% chance of success
when the cleric is the same
level as the ekimmu, plus or minus 5% per
level difference. To defeat:
Subdue it with magic weapons long enough
for it to be killed with
a wooden sword.
Blautsauger
(Bosniz-Herzagovinia)
FREQUENCY: Rare (mountains,
forest)
NO. APPEARING: 1-4
ARMOR CLASS: 1
MOVE: 12"/18"
HIT DICE: 8+3
% IN LAIR: 25%
TREASURE TYPE: F
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1 ~ 12
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-10 plus
2 levels
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Energy
drain (2 levels), charm <alt>
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Hit only
by magic weapons, regenerates, gaseous
form, limited immunity to magical attacks/poison/paralyzation
MAGIC RESISTANCE: See below
INTELLIGENCE: Exceptional
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic evil
SIZE: M
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: VIII |
3800 + 12
Varieties
of Vampires +
Hairy, with no skeleton,
large
eyes, it can polymorph itself
into a rat or a wolf. It can charm at minus 3.
It can only turn its victims
into vampires by forcing them to eat earth
from its grave. Those who
consume the earth will become vampires
when they die, even if not
killed by the blautsauger. Only a wish will
prevent this. Those who
die from the blautsauger without eating the
earth become spectres. To
defeat: Burn its body or stab it through the
heart with a stake.
FREQUENCY: Rare (mountains,
forest)
NO. APPEARING: 1-4
ARMOR CLASS: 1
MOVE: 12"/18"
HIT DICE: 8+3
% IN LAIR: 25%
TREASURE TYPE: F
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1 ~ 12
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-6, 1-8,
1-10 plus 2 levels according to size
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Energy
drain (2 levels), charm <alt>
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Hit only
by magic weapons, regenerates, gaseous
form, limited immunity to magical attacks/poison/paralyzation
MAGIC RESISTANCE: See below
INTELLIGENCE: Exceptional
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic evil
SIZE: M
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: VIII |
3800 + 12
Varieties
of Vampires +
Men, women, and children
wearing white clothes.
They love wine. They are
active day and night. They can polymorph
into either horses or sheep.
A mulo kills its victims by charming them
(minus 2), then putting
them into a large pot of boiling water. Blood
draining by mulos will put
the victim in suspended animation, awaiting
the pot. To defeat: Get
them drunk and leave quickly, or a cleric must
fight them to the death.
FREQUENCY: Rare (forest,
plain)
NO. APPEARING: 1-4
ARMOR CLASS: 1
MOVE: 0"/24"
HIT DICE: 8+3
% IN LAIR: 25%
TREASURE TYPE: F
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1 ~ 12
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2 life levels
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Energy
drain (2 levels), charm <alt>
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Hit only
by magic weapons, regenerates, gaseous
form, limited immunity to magical attacks/poison/paralyzation
MAGIC RESISTANCE: See below
INTELLIGENCE: Exceptional
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic evil
SIZE: M
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: VIII |
3800 + 12
Varieties
of Vampires +
A butterfly that attacks
day and night. It settles on the
chest of a victim and suffocates
him. Each alp can call 10-100 ordinary
butterflies and can throw
one sleep spell per 24 hour period. To defeat:
Find the corpse acting as
recipient for the butterfly and put a lemon in its
mouth. Without the lemon,
destroying the body will force the alp to find
another body, but not kill
it.
Anananngel
(Philippines)
FREQUENCY: Rare (jungle)
NO. APPEARING: 1-4
ARMOR CLASS: 1
MOVE: 0"/24"
HIT DICE: 8+3
% IN LAIR: 25%
TREASURE TYPE: F
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1 ~ 12
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-12 plus
2 levels
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Energy
drain (2 levels), charm <alt>
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Hit only
by magic weapons, regenerates, gaseous
form, limited immunity to magical attacks/poison/paralyzation
MAGIC RESISTANCE: See below
INTELLIGENCE: Exceptional
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic evil
SIZE: M
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: VIII |
3800 + 12
Varieties
of Vampires +
A flying head with entrails
filled with
blood after feeding. It
charms at minus 2 and can throw a fear spell at
minus 3. There is a 50%
chance that it is not undead, but a living witch.
As such, it will not be
turned by a cleric. To defeat: Sever the entrails to
starve it or find the body
where it sleeps during the day and hammer a
stake through its heart.
If splattered with blood from this vampire, the
victim will have sores and
diseases that only a cure disease applied daily
for two to seven days will
cure. The victim will be incapacitated until
then.
FREQUENCY: Rare (anywhere)
NO. APPEARING: 1-4
ARMOR CLASS: 1
MOVE: 12"
HIT DICE: 8+3
% IN LAIR: 25%
TREASURE TYPE: F
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1 bite,
2 claws ~ 12
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-10 plus
2 levels/bite, 1-8/claw
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Energy
drain (2 levels), charm <alt>
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Hit only
by magic weapons, regenerates, gaseous
form, limited immunity to magical attacks/poison/paralyzation
MAGIC RESISTANCE: See below
INTELLIGENCE: Exceptional
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic evil
SIZE: M
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: VIII |
3800 + 12
Varieties
of Vampires +
Red, staring eyes, pointed
nails like claws,
long hair, greenish-white
skin, a very beautiful woman or handsome
man in spite of everything.
It can call 3-18 foxes. To defeat: encircle with
rice.
Vlkodlak
(Serbia)
FREQUENCY: Rare (mountains,
forest)
NO. APPEARING: 1-4
ARMOR CLASS: 1
MOVE: 12"/18"
HIT DICE: 8+3
% IN LAIR: 25%
TREASURE TYPE: F
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1 ~ 12
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-10 plus
2 level
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Energy
drain (2 levels), charm <alt>
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Hit only
by magic weapons, regenerates, gaseous
form, limited immunity to magical attacks/poison/paralyzation
MAGIC RESISTANCE: See below
INTELLIGENCE: Exceptional
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic evil
SIZE: M
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: VIII |
3800 + 12
Varieties
of Vampires +
It has a congested face and
blood-red skin. It
can cause eclipses. Otherwise,
it is like a common vampire. It is active
day and night. To defeat:
cut off its toes and thumbs, drive a spike into
its neck, pierce its navel
with a stake (not its heart), then burn it, starting
the fire with holy candles.
FREQUENCY: Rare (anywhere)
NO. APPEARING: 1-4
ARMOR CLASS: 1
MOVE:
HIT DICE: 8+3
% IN LAIR: 25%
TREASURE TYPE: F
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1 ~ 12
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-10 plus
2 levels
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Energy
drain (2 levels), charm <alt>
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Hit only
by magic weapons, regenerates, gaseous
form, limited immunity to magical attacks/poison/paralyzation
MAGIC RESISTANCE: See below
INTELLIGENCE: Exceptional
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic evil
SIZE: M
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: VIII |
3800 + 12
Varieties
of Vampires +
A woman by day, a bird at
night, hence it is
active even in sunlight.
Otherwise, it is like a common vampire. To defeat: same as with common
vampire.
FREQUENCY: Rare (mountains,
forest)
NO. APPEARING: 1-4
ARMOR CLASS: 1
MOVE:
HIT DICE: 8+3
% IN LAIR: 25%
TREASURE TYPE: F
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1 ~ 12
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-10 plus
2 levels
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Energy
drain (2 levels), charm <alt>
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Hit only
by magic weapons, regenerates, gaseous
form, limited immunity to magical attacks/poison/paralyzation
MAGIC RESISTANCE: See below
INTELLIGENCE: Exceptional
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic evil
SIZE: M
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: VIII |
3800 + 12
Varieties
of Vampires +
It appears as a man or a
beautiful woman,
depending upon the sex of
its victim. In can polymorph into a cat, a dog,
a beetle, a butterfly, or
straw. It can charm, as a butterfly or straw by
touch, at minus 2. To defeat:
walk around its grave smoking pipeweed.
Hearts
of Darkness
Vampires, from Dracula
to Ch'ing Shih
b y T o m M o
l d v a y
| Other vampire legends | Real vampires? | Dracula: Lord of vampires | Vampires in Greece | The dancing vampire |
| Oriental vampires | - | - | - | The mass-media vampire |
| Dragon 126 | Vampires | - | Monsters | Dragon |
T h e w o r d
" v a m p i r e " i s d e r i v e d
f r o m t h e
S l a v i c
w o r d " v a m p i r ." I n d e e d ,
v a m p i r e
l e g e n d s
a r e s t r o n g i n t h e
t r a d i t i o n a l f o l k l o r e o f
a l l S l a v i c c o u n t r i e s
( Y u g o s l a v i a ,
C z e c h o s l o v a k
i a , B u l g a r i a , P o l a n d ,
a n d
R u s s i a ) .
T h e c l a s s i c v a m p i r e l
e g e n d s , h o w e v e r , c o m e
f r o m t h e a n c i e n t K i n g
d o m o f
H u n g a r y
a n d w e r e p r o b a b l y c r e
a t e d b y
t h e S l a
v i c m i n o r i t y o f t h e
c o u n t r y .
A v a m p i
r e i s a m a l i g n ,
a n i m a t e d c o r p s e
t h a t s e
e k s n o u r i s h m e n t a n d c
a u s e s h a r m
by sucking the blood of
sleeping persons.
T h e b e s t
k n o w n v e r s i o n o f t h e
v a m p i r e
l e g e n d
a d d s s e v e r a l o t h e r t r
a i t s :
1 . A
v a m p i r e o p e r a t e s o n l y
a t n i g h t . I t
m u s t s l
e e p d u r i n g t h e d a y ,
r e s t i n g i n a
c o f f i n
w h i c h c o n t a i n s s o m e o
f t h e s o i l i n
w h i c h i
t w a s o r i g i n a l l y b u r i
e d . A t b e s t , a
v a m p i r e
c a n e x i s t f o r o n l y
a f e w m i n u t e s
i n d i r e
c t s u n l i g h t b e f o r e b e
i n g d e s t r o y e d .
2 . A
v a m p i r e c a n n o t c r o s s
t h e t h r e s h o l d
o f a
d w e l l i n g u n l e s s f i r s t
i n v i t e d i n s i d e .
O n c e i t
g a i n s p e r m i s s i o n , i t
c a n r e t u r n a t
n i g h t a
t w i l l .
3 . A
v a m p i r e c a n n o t , b y i t
s e l f , c r o s s
r u n n i n g
w a t e r ( s u c h a s a
s t r e a m o r r i v e r ) .
I f o n e
o f t h e l i v i n g p r o v i d e
s a s s i s t a n c e , i t
c a n c r o
s s s a f e l y . A v a m p i r e
a l s o n e e d s
a s s i s t a n c e
t o c r o s s s a l t w a t e r .
4 . A
v a m p i r e c a n t u r n i t s e
l f i n t o a v a m p i r e
b a t . T h i s t r a i t i s
a f a i r l y r e c e n t a d d i t
i o n t o t h e v a m p i r e
l e g e n d , s i n c e v a m p i r e
b a t s a r
e o n l y f o u n d i n
t h e C a r i b b e a n S e a
a n d S o u
t h A m e r i c a . M a n y v a m p
i r e s h a v e
o t h e r s
h a p e - s h i f t i n g p o w e r s a n d
c a n t r a n s f o r m t h e m s e l v e s
i n t o o t h e r a n i m a l s h a
p e s ,
e s p e c i a l l y
t h o s e o f w o l v e s .
5 . A
v a m p i r e h o l d s t h e a l l
e g i a n c e o f
c e r t a i n
t y p e s o f a n i m a l s ?
especially those
which are malicious or love
the night. The
most typical animals here
are bats, wolves,
and rats. Some vampires
can even summon these creatures to their aid. The most
powerful vampires also have
hereditary
human helpers; generations
of families,
even entire clans, may serve
the same
powerful vampire, acting
as its living
allies. (AD&D®
game monsters with an
affinity for vampires include
lamias, rakshasas, stirges, and pseudo-vampires.)
6. A vampire has an aversion
to certain
plants (such as garlic),
holy symbols (such
as the cross), and fragrances
(such as holy
incense). The more powerful
vampires can
temporarily overcome their
aversion (especially if the will of the victim weakens).
7. A vampire can change into
a mistlike
form which can seep through
the tiniest
crack. In fact, this mist
is usually the way
in which the vampire leaves
its coffin,
which is normally kept buried
underground.
8. A vampire has supernatural
strength
and agility. A normal human
has no
chance against it in combat.
The strength
and dexterity of a vampire
allow it to
perform feats impossible
to normal
humans, like climbing sheer
surfaces or
leaping across great distances.
9 . A t
n i g h t , o u t s i d e i t s c o
f f i n , a v a m p i r e
i s i n v u
l n e r a b l e t o m o s t a t t a
c k s . N o r m a l
w e a p o n s ,
e v e n b u l l e t s , h a v e n o
e f f e c t o n
i t . S o m
e v a m p i r e s , h o w e v e r ,
c a n b e
h a r m e d
b y s i l v e r w e a p o n s o r
w e a p o n s
t h a t h a
v e b e e n e s p e c i a l l y b l
e s s e d .
1 0 . A
v a m p i r e c a n n o t e a t n o
r m a l f o o d .
I t s o n l
y n o u r i s h m e n t i s f r e s
h b l o o d . A t
m o s t , a
v a m p i r e c a n p r e t e n d t
o e a t a f e w
c r u m b s
a n d s i p a b i t o f
w i n e . E v e n t h e n ,
t h e f o o
d a n d d r i n k w i l l
c a u s e i t p a i n .
1 1 . A
v a m p i r e i s a s o u l l e s s
c r e a t u r e . I t
t h u s c a
s t s n o r e f l e c t i o n i n
m i r r o r s , n o r
d o e s i t
c a s t a s h a d o w l i k e
l i v i n g c r e a t u r e s .
1 2 . A
v a m p i r e i s g e n e r a l l y
d e s c r i b e d a s
b e i n g e
x c e e d i n g l y g a u n t a n d
l e a n , w i t h
d e a t h l y
p a l e s k i n . M o s t o f
t h e t i m e , i t s s k i n
i s a s
c o l d a s i c e a n d
r a d i a t e s t h e c h i l l o f
t h e g r a
v e . O c c a s i o n a l l y , i t s
s k i n g r o w s
f e v e r e d
a n d b u r n i n g , l i k e a
h o t c o a l . I t s
e y e s e i
t h e r g l o w w i t h a
h i d e o u s r e d l i g h t
o r a r e
i c y b l u e - g r a y . T h e l i
p s a r e r i c h a n d
f u l l , a
n d a r e t h e c o l o r
o f f r e s h b l o o d . A
v a m p i r e ? s
t e e t h a r e w h i t e a n d
g l e a m i n g ,
w i t h l o
n g , p o i n t e d c a n i n e s .
I t s n a i l s a r e
u s u a l l y
l o n g a n d p o i n t e d l i k e
t a l o n s . T h e
v a m p i r e
i n i t i a l l y s m e l l s u n b e a r a b l
y f e t i d
a n d r a n
k , l i k e t h e s t e n c h
o f a d e c o m p o s i n g
b o d y . A
s t i m e g o e s o n (
a n d t h e v a m p i r e ? s
b o d y w o
u l d n o r m a l l y h a v e d e c
a y e d t o
m e r e b o
n e s ) , t h e v a m p i r e m e r
e l y s m e l l s a
b i t s t a
l e a n d m u s t y , l i k e
a c l o s e d r o o m t h a t
n e e d s a
i r i n g . T h e s t e n c h o f
a v a m p i r e c a n
b e t e m p
o r a r i l y s u p p r e s s e d a n d
i s s t r o n g e s t j u s t b e f
o r e i t a t t a c k s .
1 3 . B e f o
r e f e a s t i n g o n a
v i c t i m , a v a m p i r e h a s
a n a g e d , h o l l o w l o o k .
A f t e r d r a i n i n g a v i c t
i m , t h e v a m p i r e l o o k s
y o u n g e r
a n d s o m
e w h a t b l o a t e d .
1 4 . A
v a m p i r e h a s s t r o n g h y
p n o t i c
p o w e r s
a n d c a n u s e t h e s e
p o w e r s t o b r e a k
t h e w i l
l o f a v i c t i m . I
t i s e s p e c i a l l y d a n g e
r o u s t o l o o k i n t o
a v a m p i r e ? s e y e s . T h e
m e s m e r i c
a t t r a c t i o n o f t e n h a s
a s e x u a l
b a s i s ,
a n d m a n y v a m p i r e s c a n
m o r e e a s i l y
h y p n o t i z e
v i c t i m s o f t h e o p p o s i
t e s e x
(though only the blood,
not the sex, of a
v i c t i m
i s i m p o r t a n t t o t h e
v a m p i r e ) .
1 5 . I f
s o d e s i r e d , a v a m p i r e
c a n t r a n s f o r m i t s v i c
t i m s i n t o v a m p i r e s , t
h u s
s p r e a d i n g
t h e c u r s e o f t h e
u n d e a d . O n l y a
s e l e c t
f e w o f t h e v i c t i m s
b e c o m e v a m p i r e s ;
m o s t v i
c t i m s m e r e l y d i e a s
a r e s u l t o f
b e i n g d
r a i n e d b y t h e b i t e
o f a v a m p i r e .
1 6 . A
v a m p i r e c a n o n l y b e
k i l l e d w h i l e
a s l e e p
i n i t s c o f f i n . T h e r e
a r e t h r e e t r a d i t i o n a l
m e t h o d s f o r s l a y i n g a
v a m p i r e : d r i v e
a s t a k e
t h r o u g h i t s h e a r t , c u
t o f f i t s h e a d ,
o r c o m p
l e t e l y b u r n i t s b o d y .
S e v e r i n g t h e
h e a d a n
d p l a c i n g t h e r e m a i n s
i n r u n n i n g
w a t e r i
s s a i d t o b e g o o
d , a s i s e x p o s i n g
t h e
v a m p i r e
t o d i r e c t s u n l i g h t .
T h e u s u a
l w o o d f r o m w h i c h
t h e s t a k e
s h o u l d
b e m a d e i s h a w t h o r n
o r w h i t e t h o r n . I n R u s
s i a n f o l k l o r e , a s p e n
o r
m a p l e i
s u s e d . I t i s i m
p o r t a n t t o d r i v e t h e
s t a k e r
i g h t t h r o u g h t h e h e a r
t o f a v a m p i r e
i n o n e
s i n g l e s t r o k e . I f i t
t a k e s m o r e t h a n
o n e b l o
w , t h e v a m p i r e c a n
l a t e r r e t u r n t o
i t s u n d
e a d s t a t e .
S i m i l a r l y ,
t h e v a m p i r e ? s h e a d s h
o u l d b e
s e v e r e d
i n a s i n g l e b l o w .
T h e i d e a l w e a p o n
t o s e v e
r t h e h e a d o f a
v a m p i r e i s a s h a r p e n e
d s p a d e u s e d t o
d i g g r a v e s . I f a t
a l l
p o s s i b l e ,
t h e s a m e s h o v e l u s e d
t o o r i g i n a l l y
b u r y t h
e v a m p i r e s h o u l d b e
u s e d t o
d e s t r o y
i t .
C r e m a t i o n
i s a f a i r l y u n i v e r s a l
m e t h o d t o
d e s t r o y
v a m p i r e s . I f v a m p i r e s
h a v e n o
b o d y , t
h e y c a n n o t r o a m a s
a n i m a t e d
c o r p s e s .
C o n s i d e r i n g h o w m a l i g n
a n d
p o w e r f u l
v a m p i r e s c a n b e , i t
i s p r o b a b l y
b e s t t o
u s e s e v e r a l m e t h o d s o
f e x e c u t i o n
s i m u l t a n e o u s
l y j u s t t o b e o n
t h e s a f e s i d e
Other
vampire legends
T h e r e a
r e a n u m b e r o f o
t h e r l e g e n d s
w h i c h a
r e n o t n e c e s s a r i l y p a
r t o f t h e
c l a s s i c
v a m p i r e m y t h . I n S l a v
i c f o l k l o r e ,
t h e v a m
p i r e a n d t h e w e r e w o l f
a r e c l o s e l y
r e l a t e d .
I n f a c t , t h e s u r e s t
w a y t o b e c o m e
a v a m p i
r e a f t e r d e a t h i s
t o h a v e b e e n a
w e r e w o l f
i n l i f e . A n o t h e r w a y
t o b e c o m e a
v a m p i r e
i s t o e a t t h e f l
e s h o f a n a n i m a l
t h a t h a
s b e e n k i l l e d b y
a w o l f ( e s p e c i a l l y a
w
e r e w o l f i n w o l f f o r
m ) . T h e i d e a i s
t h a t
t h e w o l
f ' s b i t e h a s s p r e a d
t h e c o n t a g i o n .
N o t s u r
p r i s i n g l y , w e r e w o l v e s a n d
v a m p i r e s c o n t i n u e t o
b e c l o s e l y a s s o c i a t e d .
I n
f a c t , t
h e w o l v e s s u m m o n e d b y
a v a m p i r e
a r e m o r
e l i k e l y t o b e w
e r e w o l v e s t h a n
n o r m a l
w o l v e s .
T h e c o n n
e c t i o n b e t w e e n t h e w e
r e w o l f
a n d v a m
p i r e c a n b e u s e d
a s t h e b a s i s f o r
a
s u b p l o t
i n f a n t a s y g a m e s . A
p a r t y o f
a d v e n t u r e r s
m i g h t m a n a g e t o k i l l
a w e r e w o l f -- only to be stalked, several
days
later, by a vampire (who
is actually the
werewolf returned from the
grave for
revenge).
In some legends, it is not
only the bite of
the vampire which is deadly
-- it is also
the breath of the vampire,
which is particularly fetid and smells of rotting corpses.
The breath also has another
quality of
rotting corpses --
it carries all sorts of
diseases. Thus, in some
countries, contagious diseases are thought to start with
the breath of a vampire.
In Chinese legend, the misty
vampire
form is also connected to
those gaseous
marsh lights which are the
basis for the
will-o'-the-wisp legends.
Again, there is a
chain of logic that connects
vampires to
disease. Swamps are known
both for their
heavy mists and the diseases
they breed.
Vampires must, therefore,
breed disease
because of their misty form.
In addition,
vampires are bloodsuckers,
as are mosquitoes, which are similarly notorious for
carrying and transmitting
disease
Real
vampires?
Vampires
are not merely a mythological
phenomenon. Throughout history,
there
have been people who believed
in the
physical existence of vampires.
There are,
in fact, numerous historical
accounts of
the alleged sighting and
slaying of vampires. Most of the reports are second- or
third-hand, and should be
viewed with
suspicion. Even so, the
sheer number of
"authentic" accounts have
led some individuals to speculate whether or not there
might be some real basis
to the vampire
myths, Two of the more interesting
explanations are those of ?catalepsy? and the
?psychic sponge.?
Catalepsy is a kind of trance-state
which
is virtually identical with
death. The bodily
functions are so reduced
that there are no
noticeable vital signs.
Before the advent of
modern medical techniques,
an examination of a cataleptic, even by a skilled doctor, would have revealed
no heartbeat or
breathing.
The condition of catalepsy
in the past
could easily lead to premature
burials,
since no form of embalming
techniques
were formerly used. No one
knows for
sure how common premature
burials once
were, but there is plenty
of evidence for
both catalepsy and premature
burials. One
investigator, Dr. Franz
Hartmann, collected
details of more than 700
cases of premature burial. Most unfortunate victims of
premature burial awoke in
their coffins
and eventually suffocated,
unable to break
out. But in some cases,
panic gave the
victim superhuman strength.
If the grave
was shallow or the ground
especially
loose, the victim was able
to escape from
the coffin.
In most cases, the victim
had never
heard of catalepsy or premature
burial.
The dead were dead, and
only corpses
were buried. The victim
had been buried;
he must therefore be dead.
But the victim
could move and feel. Only
vampires came
back from the dead with
uncorrupted
bodies. The logic was inescapable:
The
victim must be a vampire.
It?s easy to see how the
victim, too, could
believe he was a vampire
and would act
exactly as a vampire was
expected to act.
The trauma of the premature
burial could
easily induce a kind of
insanity in which
the victim hallucinated
changing shapes,
having hypnotic powers,
and growing
younger with each drink
of blood. If the
victim continued to live
by murdering
people and drinking blood,
the belief
would be more strongly reinforced
with
each new drink (blood has
enough nutritional value that it could sustain a minimum level of life).
If a sane victim tried to
return to his
family, the villagers would
be likely to
treat him as a vampire.
In fact, in many of
the historical accounts,
the ?vampire?
looks and acts perfectly
normal ? except
for the fact that he had
been buried some
time before. There are accounts
of people
returning from the grave
to take up life as
normal, even having children
after they
had supposedly died.
The catalepsy theory can
provide an
interesting subplot, especially
for lowerlevel adventures. What if the vampire the
characters meet in a dungeon
was actually
a victim of a premature
burial who
believed he was a vampire?
The subplot
allows for plenty of inventive
role-playing
by both the DM and the players.
If the
characters eventually discover
the truth
without killing the ?vampire,?
there could
be the additional mission
of trying to
return the victim to his
home and convince everyone that the poor fellow really
wasn?t a vampire.
A "psychic sponge" or ?psychic
vampire?
is a more bizarre concept
? a person who
appears to physically drain
the energy of
other people. Psychic vampirism,
according to some sources, is largely an unconscious psychic power. The
individual really
doesn?t know why everyone
around him
grows pale and tired and
seems to be
constantly ill while he
keeps growing
s t r o n g e r .
If vital energy can actually
be drained in
some psychic way, then it
could explain
many of the symptoms of
supposed vampire victims. People in a village where
such a being lived would
become pale and
sickly for no apparent reason.
After a
time, the villagers might
notice something
was wrong. If they dug up
enough graves,
by the laws of chance, one
would be sure
to contain a body that had
not decomposed at a normal rate. Here would be
?proof? that a vampire was
ravaging the
village.
The most famous vampire,
Dracula,
t h o u g h
f a m i l i a r t o m o s t o f
u s a s a c h a r a c ter in a novel,
is based on stories about an
actual historical individual.
Dracula's real
name was Vlad Tepes. In
A.D. 1431, the
same year that Vlad was
born, his father
(also named Vlad) was made
a knight of
the Order of the Dragon,
a paramilitary
organization dedicated to
fighting the
Turks. In Rumanian, "dragon"
is ?dracul.?
So, the father was given
the nickname
Dracul, and his son was
given the nickname Dracula, which means ?son of Dracul.? Unfortunately,
?dracul? also means
?devil.? Thus, Dracula could
mean either
?son of the dragon? or ?son
of the devil.?
Vlad Dracul was Prince of
Wallachia
from 1436-1442 and again
from 1443-1447.
The small country of Wallachia
(which
today comprises one-third
of Rumania) lies
between the lower Danube
River and the
Carpathian Mountains. Wallachia
was
nominally a Banates (frontier
march) of
the Kingdom of Hungary,
but it had been
essentially an independent
country since
about 1360.
At the time that Vlad Dracul
was prince,
Wallachia was in imminent
danger of
being absorbed by the Turkish
Empire
then overrunning most of
the Balkans.
Any leader of Wallachia
was stuck in the
middle of a power struggle
between the
Turks and the Hungarians.
Both tried to
put candidates favorable
to their side on
the throne, and both sent
armies or assassins when they became displeased with
the prince?s rule.
In 1444, Vlad Dracul and
his two oldest
sons, Mircea and Vlad, joined
the anti-Turk
crusade which led to the
disastrous defeat
of the Western crusaders
at Varna. After
the defeat, Vlad Dracul
was forced to give
up his second son, Vlad,
and his youngest
son, Radu, as hostages to
the Turks. For
the next four years, the
young Dracula
was a Turkish prisoner.
While the imprisonment was not always physically harsh, it
was an extreme mental ordeal
since Dracula was likely to be executed at any
moment if the Turks did
not like his
father's policies. During
those years, Dracula came to view life as fleeting and cheap.
In reaction to his imprisonment,
he developed a reputation for trickery, cunning,
insubordination, and brutality.
By remaining on good terms
with the
Turkish Sultan, Vlad Dracul
angered the
protector of Hungary, John
Hunyadi.
Henchmen of Hunyadi murdered
Vlad
Dracul and his eldest son
Mircea in
December of 1447. John Hunyadi
then
placed his own candidate,
Vladislav II, on
the throne of Wallachia.
Backed by the
lurks, Dracula became Prince
of Wallachia
for two months in 1448.
But the Hungarian faction was too strong. Dracula fled to
Moldavia, the northernmost
Rumanian
principality. There, he
formed a close
friendship and alliance
with his cousin
Steven.
Politics in Moldavia were
as dangerous
as in Wallachia. In 1451,
Steven?s father,
Bogdan, was murdered, and
the two cousins fled. Dracula managed to make peace
with John Hunyadi and served
under
Hunyadi in John?s constant
fight against
the Turks. From 1451-1456,
Dracula lived
in Transylvania, which is
now the third
province of Rumania, but
which was traditionally a part of the Kingdom of Hungary.
Transylvania contained many
Hungarians
and Germans as well as Romanians.
Vladislav II was having the
same kind of
problems Dracula's father
once had. In
1456, John Hunyadi decided
that Vladislav
was favoring the Turks too
much. He
loaned Dracula the nucleus
of an army
and sent him to regain the
throne of Wallachia. Dracula defeated Vladislav and
became Prince of Wallachia
again.
Now, Dracula could release
all his pentup hatreds. He executed the members of
the faction that killed
his father. Since he
couldn?t be sure exactly
who was guilty, he
solved the problem by killing
500 suspects,
among whom were bound to
be the 20 or
so men responsible for his
father?s death.
Dracula raided the Turks,
whom he hated
with pathological fervor,
and also raided
the German merchant towns
of Transylvania.
The Germans had come to Transylvania
hundreds of years before
as immigrants
from Saxony, invited by
the Hungarian king
to encourage commerce. To
many of the
Rumanians, the Germans were
foreign
upstarts, monopolizing trade
throughout
Transylvania. On St. Bartholomew's
Day,
August 24, 1460, nearly
30,000 men, women, and children of German descent were
slain on a hill outside
the city of Brasov in
Transylvania.
But Dracula?s main enemies
were the
Turks. In 1461-1462, he
led a campaign
against them in which he
made full use of
guerilla tactics and terrorism.
By Dracula?s
own count, his forces slew
23,809 Turks.
In fact, Dracula cut off
the heads, noses,
or ears of the Turks to
keep an accurate
count, then sent them as
presents to
neighboring Christian rulers
to enlist their
aid against the infidel
Turks (without success). Dracula?s favorite means of killing
his victims was by impaling
them on a
stake. This practice gave
him his second
nickname, ?Tepes? which
means ?The
Impaler.?
By the end of 1462, Vlad
Tepes was
driven from the throne by
his younger
brother Radu, who had become
a Turkish
puppet. When Vlad appealed
to Mathias
Corvinus, son of John Hunyadi
and now
King of Hungary, he was
imprisoned.
Mathias was concentrating
on political
maneuvers in Europe, and
he needed a
quiet border with the Turks.
Vlad Tepes was still a valuable
political
asset. Eventually, he converted
from the
Orthodox to the Roman Catholic
religion
and married one of Mathias?
sisters. When
Stephen (the Great) of Moldavia,
a remarkable cousin of Vlad who managed to hold
the throne for nearly 50
years, supported
Dracula?s claim to Wallachia,
the time was
ripe for Vlad?s return.
The official commander of the expedition was Stephen
Bathory, Prince of Transylvania
(soon to be
elected King of Poland).
The army was
made up of Hungarians, Wallachians,
Transylvanians, and Moldavians.
In 1476,
they defeated the Turks
and set Dracula
once more on the throne
of Wallachia.
But Dracula had alienated
too many
factions among his subjects.
Before he
could consolidate his reign,
his enemies
united against him, and
Dracula was slain
on a hilltop outside Bucharest.
His third
reign had lasted barely
two months.
In his own day, Dracula
was notorious.
Numerous writers, especially
Germans
sympathetic to their Transylvanian
cousins, wrote about him as the ?Blood Monster? Bram Stoker knew some of
the
stories about Dracula and
made them the
basis for his main character
in the novel of
the same name.
Dracula was certainly bloodthirsty
with
a pathological cruelty.
He firmly believed
in the effects of terror
to intimidate his
subjects and defeat his
enemies. Even his
favored means of torture,
the stake, made
him a natural candidate
for the vampire
legend that grew around
him.
At the same time, Dracula
managed to
maintain some shreds of
personal honor. It
was his boast that a person
could walk
across Wallachia with a
bag of gold and be
completely safe from bandits
(who feared
his wrath too much to operate
in the
country). There were many
cases in which
Dracula personally rewarded
faithful
service. No one questioned
Dracula?s personal courage or his prowess as a warrior.
He was even something of
a patriot,
So, the main character of
the novel
Dracula is no mere
one-sided personality.
He is evil, certainly, and
terrifying, cruel,
and merciless -- yet he
retains a hint of
honor, his courage is undaunted,
and he is
still human enough to fall
in love, in his
own twisted way.
Since Dracula is the best-known
vampire, he can serve as a kind of vampire
prince in AD&D games.
One could always
assume that Dracula was
summoned to
the AD&D game universe
by an evil magicuser who probably got more than he
bargained for.
DRACULA (Vlad Tepes)
FREQUENCY: Unique
NO. APPEARING: 2
ARMOR CLASS: -1 (-4
with dexterity)
MOVE: 12"/18"
HIT DICE: 12 (96 hp)
% IN LAIR: 10%
TREASURE TYPE: G
N O . O F
A T T A C K S : 2 (by touch or weapon)
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-8
(+7)
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Energy
drain, hypnosis, +4 to hit in combat
S P E C I A L
D E F E N S E S : +1 or better weapon to hit
MAGIC RESISTANCE:
25%
INTELLIGENCE: Exceptional
ALIGNMENT! Chaotic
evil
S I Z E : M
PSIONIC ABILITY: 204
Attack/Defense Modes: B,C/J
S : 19 I: 17
W: 17
D : 17 C: 19 CH: 17
Dracula is similar to the
usual AD&D
game vampire
in the Monster Manual,
except as noted in this
article. His strength
is 19
(as per Legends & Lore), and he can
wield a long sword if he
so desires, doing
8-15 hp damage per attack
(the weapon
may be magical as well).
Dracula can
regenerate 5 hp per melee
round. Garlic,
mirrors, and holy symbols
only cause him
to hesitate 1-2 rounds because
of his
strength of will, and he
can survive up to
10 rounds in sunlight or
running water.
Dracula is assumed to have
been reborn as
a true vampire after his
death, perhaps
being summoned to a magical
universe by
an unlucky wizard. It is
highly likely that
he would make use of magical
weapons
and items in an AD&D
game world, selecting those items appropriate to warriors
since he had no skill at
magic or the priesthood in life. Magical rings, amulets, scrolls
of protection, swords and
daggers, and
similar items would be preferred.
Unlike most vampires, who
have been
completely overwhelmed by
their transition into the undead, Dracula can sometimes overcome his undead
state of mind
by sheer willpower. It is
possible that he
could be impressed enough
by an exceptional display of courage or faithful service
on the part of a character
or retainer to
call off any attacks he
is making. It is
probable that Dracula will
become
involved in the politics
of whatever world
he enters. His relationship
with Orcus,
demon prince of the undead,
is best left to
the DM?s imagination.
When trying to turn Dracula
away, a
cleric should consider this
monster to be
classed in the ?special?
category. Conversely, though Dracula has no other
clerical abilities-as such,
he may exert his
incredible willpower to
force other
undead beings into servitude
for short
periods of time. Treat him
as an evil 12thlevel cleric, making the usual attempts to
call undead into service
as per the rules
for turning undead.
V
R Y K O L A K A S
FREQUENCY: Rare
NO. APPEARING: 1-10
ARMOR CLASS: <-2> ?
MOVE: 12"
HIT DICE: 7
% IN LAIR: 25%
TREASURE TYPE: [E]
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-10
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Energy
drain (see text)
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE: See below
INTELLIGENCE: Average
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic evil
SIZE: M
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense
Modes: Nil
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: <>
GREAT
V R Y K O L A K A S
FREQUENCY: Very rare
NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: -2
MOVE: 12"
HIT DICE: 13
% IN LAIR: 10%
TREASURE TYPE: [G]
NO. OF ATTACKS: 2
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-20
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Energy
drain (see text)
SPECIAL DEFENSES: +1 or
better weapon to hit
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 30%
INTELLIGENCE: Average
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic evil
SIZE: M
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Attack/Defense
Modes: Nil
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: <>
The vampire in Greek folklore
is called
the vrykolakas.
Both the vrykolakas and
the vampire are animated
corpses that
prey upon the living, but
the vrykolakas
differs from the vampire
in a number of
details.
A vrykolakas has a weird,
distinctive
look. The 17th-century writer
Leo Allatius
gives an eyewitness account
of the exumation of a man believed to be a vrykolakas:
"On top of the bones of other
men there
was found lying a corpse
perfectly whole;
it was unusually tall of
stature; clothes it
had none, time or moisture
having caused
them to perish. The skin
was distended,
hard, and livid, and so
swollen everywhere that the body had no flat surfaces
but was round like a full
sack. The face
was covered with hair dark
and curly; on
the head there was little
hair, as also on
the rest of the body, which
appeared
smooth all over. The arms,
by reason of
the swelling of the corpse,
were stretched
out on each side like the
arms of a cross.
The hands were open, the
eyelids closed,
the mouth gaping, and the
teeth white.
"Such bodies do not, like
those of other
dead men, suffer decomposition
after
burial, nor turn to dust,
but having, as it
appears, a skin of extreme
toughness
become swollen and distended
all over, so
that the joints can scarcely
be bent; the
skin becomes stretched like
the parchment
of a drum, and when struck
gives out the
same sound."
The vrykolakas is not self-animated.
Instead, an evil spirit
enters the body,
causing it to move about.
The vrykolakas
would thus be the result
of a bizarre kind
of demonic possession, all
the more terrible because the dead person has no mind
to actively resist the takeover.
The vrykolakas is most active
at night,
but only because devils
and demons prefer
darkness, not because the
monster itself is
in any way allergic to sunlight.
If it so
wishes, the vrykolakas can
terrorize its
victims in the daytime.
In fact, a Greek
proverb advises people to
?beware of the
noontime vampire.?
This monster delights in
inflicting random violence and spreading panic. The
vrykolakas does not so much
feed off the
blood of the living as it
does their terror
and fright. One common practice
of the
vrykolakas is to seat itself
upon a sleeping
victim and, by its enormous
weight and
horrific presence, cause
an agonizing
sense of oppression. A victim
who dies
from this oppression will
himself become a
vrykolakas.
In a short time, the original
vrykolakas
can gather a large and dangerous
train of
followers. Furthermore,
as time goes on,
the vrykolakas becomes more
and more
audacious and bloodthirsty,
so that it is
able to completely devastate
whole villages. According to legend, if the vrykolakas
in not annihilated within
80 days of its
first appearance, it will
become a merciless and invincible dealer of death. The
mere sight of the vrykolakas
in this state
could cause death.
Among the many legends of
the vrykolakas are some curious ones. One says that
when the vrykolakas first
returns from
the dead, it goes to its
native village at
night, knocking at doors
and calling for
one person of the household.
If that person answers, he will die the next day. But
a vrykolakas never calls
twice, and so the
inhabitants of the island
of Chios (from
which this legend springs)
always wait for
a second call at night before
answering.
E v e n a s
l a t e a s 1910, according to John
Lawson (author of
Modern Greek Folklore
and Ancient Greek Religion),
the island of
Santorini was notorious
for its vampires
(i.e., vrykolakas). ?To
send vampires to
Santorini? was an expression
synonymous
with sending ?owls to Athens?
or ?coals to
Newcastle.? (American equivalents
might
be sending ?cars to Detroit?
or ?movies to
Hollywood.?) The present
day island of
Santorini was known in ancient
times as
Thera. About 1,600 years
ago, the island
of Thera blew apart in a
volcanic explosion believed to have been more devastating than even Krakatoa
or Mount St.
Helens. The resultant tidal
waves and
heavy fall of ash helped
destroy the Minoan civilization and might possibly be the
historical basis of the
Atlantis myths.
Making Santorini the "Isle
of the Undead"
may reflect some folk memory
of that
ancient disaster. Areas
in a fantasy universe in which huge numbers of people
were slain or died all at
once might also
form breeding grounds for
immense numbers of undead.
There are two ways to destroy
a vrykolakas. One method is to exorcise the evil
spirit which animates the
monster. If the
exorcism is successful,
the corpse immediately begins to decay, rapidly decomposing
in a single round until
only bones are left.
The second method is to
dig up the monster?s grave and burn the corpse. Presumably, the evil spirit
is only in the corpse
while it is animated. By
finding the grave
and exhuming the body, it
is possible to
catch the evil spirit unaware,
before it has
a chance to repossess the
body.
In the statistics given here
for the vrykolakas are two separate columns. The first,
termed ?Vrykolakas,? is
for the monster
from its initial appearance
and for the first
80 days of its existence.
The second
column, termed ?Great Vrykolakas,?
is for
the monster after 80 days
have passed.
Sleep, charm, and
hold spells do not
affect these creatures,
nor do poison or
paralysis. A vrykolakas
also has a special
kind of attack. Each turn,
anyone whom
the vrykolakas touches must
make a saving throw vs. spells (specifically against
fear, with wisdom
bonuses applicable). If
the save fails, the victim
loses an energy
level as the vrykolakas
feeds off his fear.
The vrykolakas can also
attack physically
for 1-10 hp
damage per strike.
A cleric has the same chance
to turn a
vrykolakas as he does a
mummy. In addition, the exorcise spell can force the evil
spirit to leave the vrykolakas,
rendering
the creature harmless and
inert.
After 80 days, the vrykolakas
gains
enough power to become a
great vrykolakas. The great vrokolakas has a better
armor class and more hit
points than an
ordinary vrykolakas. It
has two attacks
per round, each of which
does 2-20 hp
damage. It also attacks
by fear, but the
power works on anyone who
gazes at the
great vrykolakas (in addition
to anyone it
touches). The fear
power drains two levels
if the save is unsuccessful.
A great vrykolakas has a 30% resistance to all magic
(except the exorcise
spell).
The great vrykolakas is usually
accompanied by 1-6 ordinary vrykolakas under its
control. For purposes of
turning it away,
consider the great vrykolakas
to be in the
"special" category. If the
great vrykolakas
can be turned away, or the
exorcism spell
succeeds against it, the
ordinary vrykolakas are also rendered harmless and ?dead?
again.
The dancing
vampires
A kind of vampire spirit
from Highland
folklore is the baobhan
sith (pronounced
baavan shee). Since Gaelic
can be difficult
to pronounce, an alternative
spelling of
the monster's name could
be "bavanshee."
The word itself is a dialectic
variation of
banshee, but the creature
is completely
different from the usual
banshee. The
following tale about a baobhan
sith is
retold from C.M. Robertson's
Folklore
from the West of Ross-shire.
Four young men were on a
hunting trip
and spent the night in an
empty shieling, a
hut built to give shelter
for the sheep in
the grazing season. They
began to dance,
one supplying mouth-music.
One of the
dancers wished that they
had partners.
Almost at once, four women
came in.
Three danced, the fourth
stood by the
music-maker. But as he hummed,
he saw
drops of blood falling from
the dancers.
He fled out of the shieling,
pursued by his
demon partner, and took
refuge among
the horses. The woman could
not get to
him, probably because of
the iron with
which the horses were shod.
Nonetheless,
she circled round him all
night, and only
disappeared when the sun
rose. He went
back into the shieling and
found the bloodless bodies of the dancers lying there.
Their partners had drained
them white.
B A O B H A N
S I T H
( B a v a n s h e e )
FREQUENCY: Very rare
NO. APPEARING: 1-8
ARMOR CLASS: 5
MOVE: 12?
HIT DICE: 5
% IN LAIR: 10%
TREASURE TYPE: A
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
D A M A G E / A T T A C
K : 1-6
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Spells
and blood drain
S P E C I A L
D E F E N S E S : Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE:
Standard
I N T E L L I G E N C E
: High
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic
evil
SIZE: M
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
Baobhan sith are evil spirits
that roam at
night seeking victims. As
minor demons,
they are in the ?special?
category for clerics who seek to turn them. The baobhan
sith look like beautiful
young women.
Using spells, they try to
trick their victims
into letting them drain
all the blood from
the victims? bodies. Baobhan
sith have the
m a g i c - u s e r
s p e l l s charm person, clairaudience, suggestion,
phantasmal force, and
teleport.
If a baobhan sith grasps
a victim (who
usually allows the touch
because of charm
person or suggestion)
and makes a successful ?to hit? roll for vampiric contact,
the creature automatically
drains blood
for 3-18 hp damage in one
round. The
charm or suggestion
is then broken, and
the victim can fight back
normally ? but
the baobhan sith will not
release the victim unless the victim makes a strength roll
as if to open doors (e.g.,
a victim with a
strength of 15 can throw
off an attacker
on a 1-2 on 1d6). The baobhan
sith drains
3-18 hp with each further
round if not
removed. Any victim drained
below zero
hit points is dead. The
baobhan sith has a
physical attack (a strike
with a clawed
hand) which does 1-6 hp
damage, but the
attack is rarely used since
they prefer
spells and blood draining.
An iron weapon automatically
does
double damage to a baobhan
sith (and gets
a +3 bonus to hit). Since
they are especially vulnerable to iron, the baobhan sith will
always try to avoid contact
with it (they
can sense it within a 60?
radius). Oddly
enough, silvered weapons
have only normal effects against them. Holy water does
1-6 hp damage per vial to
them.
-
The ch'ing shih
is a kind of Chinese
vampire. Like the vrykolakas,
the corpse is
actually animated by a sort
of demon who
preserves the corpse from
decay so that it
can prey on the living.
Unlike the vrykolakas, however, the demon animating the
corpse is not entirely alien.
The Chinese believed that
a person has
two souls: the Hun, or superior
soul which
is aligned with the spirits
of goodness; and
the P'o, or inferior soul,
which is aligned
with the spirits of evil.
If a body is not given
the proper funeral rites,
the P'o can seize
control and animate the
corpse. A particularly evil person may become a ch?ing shih by
purposely separating the
two souls. The
superior soul can be stored
someplace outside the body (much like in the magic jar
spell) while the inferior
soul is given free
reign. When the person dies,
he will return
from the grave to work evil.
This type of
ch'ing shih cannot be destroyed
until the
superior soul is first liberated
from whatever physical object it occupies (usually a
clay vase). The physical
object must be broken to free the superior soul.
G. Willoughby-Meade, in
Chinese Ghosts
and Goblins, relates
a story about four
travelers who meet a ch'ing
shih. The
same story is also told
by Pu Sung Ling in
the book Liao Chai.
Four travelers arrived late
one night to
the village of Tsaitien
in Shantung province.
They were extremely weary,
wanting
only to sleep for the night.
But the village
inn was completely filled.
After some
lengthy discussion and a
bit of bribery, the
travelers persuaded the
innkeeper to find
them some indoor sleeping
place, out of
the foul weather.
The innkeeper reluctantly
led the four
travelers to the only place
available: a
small, lonely house a little
distance away
where, he told the travelers,
his daughterin-law had recently died. In the one-room
cottage, behind a heavy
curtain, lay the
uncoffined body of the woman.
While the
circumstances were somewhat
gruesome,
at least the house was warm
and dry. The
innkeeper gave the travelers
straw pallets
and blankets which were
comfortable
enough. Within minutes,
three of the four
travelers were fast asleep.
A strange sense of evil seemed
to
oppress the fourth traveler.
In spite of his
fatigue, fear prevented
him from shutting
his eyes for some little
while. Yet he was
so tired that he could not
resist long and
had just about fallen asleep
when he heard
an ominous rustling behind
the curtain,
which sounded as though
somebody was
stirring very softly.
Cold, with horror, he peered
out from
half-closed eyes and he
distinctly saw a
horrible, stealthy hand
thrust itself from
behind the curtain, which
was noiselessly
drawn aside. There stood
the livid corpse
gazing into the room with
a baleful glare.
It approached softly and,
stooping over
the three sleepers, seemed
to breathe
upon their faces.
The man who was awake buried
his
head under the quilt, horror-stricken.
He
felt that the corpse was
bending over him,
but after a few minutes,
as he lay in an
agony of terror, he heard
the same gentle
rustling as before. This
time the sound,
made by the movement of
the stiff graveclothes, moved away from him. When he
cautiously peeped out he
noticed that the
corpse had returned to its
bier and was
stretched out stark and
still.
He crept from his place and,
not daring
to even whisper, shook each
of his comrades. But he could not make them move.
He then reached for his
clothes, but hearing the gentle rustling sound once more,
he realized that he had
been seen.
In a moment, he flung himself
back on
the bed and drew the coverlet
tightly over
his face. A few minutes
later he felt the
awful creature was standing
by his side.
However, after looking him
over, it seemed
to retire again. At length,
half mad with
fright, the man grabbed
some clothes
which he threw on and rushed
barefoot
from the house.
He again heard the corpse
stirring, but
now it sprang from its bier
with a rush of
speed. The man was able
to bolt and bar
the door just as the corpse
leaped at it
with demoniacal fury, As
the man ran at
full speed under the light
of a waning
moon, desperate to put as
great a distance
between himself and the
haunted house as
possible, he chanced to
glance back and
shrieked aloud to see that
the corpse was
not only following him ?
it was hard at
his heels and gaining rapidly.
In desperation, he fled behind a large willow which
grew by the side of the
road. As the
corpse rushed at him in
one direction, he
darted rapidly in the other.
Fires burned in the corpse's
red eyes as
it strove to catch its terrorized
prey.
Finally, as it suddenly
swooped upon him
with hideous violence, the
traveler
swooned and fell senseless
to the ground.
The corpse missed its aim
so that it struck
the tree, not the man, with
all of its might.
At daybreak, both corpse
and man were
found. When the corpse was
pulled away,
it was found that it had
embedded its
taloned fingers so deeply
into the tree that
it could not free itself.
The traveler, after
many months of rest, recovered
his health
-- but his companions were
found lying
dead, poisoned by the fetid
breath of the
ch'ing shih.
The story shows several aspects
of the
ch'ing shih. It is not especially
intelligent
but is extremely persistent.
It is not a true
vampire, as it kills with
its poisonous
breath, not by draining
blood. It attacks
with a terrible, berserk
fury which temporarily gives it increased strength.
A ch'ing shih can normally
be destroyed
by physical attacks. If
the superior soul is,
however, hidden in some
magic container,
then the creature will continue
coming
back to life to stalk its
attackers. Normal
means of destruction only
temporarily
destroy the body. Even if
it is cremated
and the ashes are scattered,
the ch?ing
shih will regenerate a new
body after a
day or so and return to
the attack. If all
else fails, it will take
possession of some
other corpse. If the magic
container holding the superior soul is broken, then the
ch'ing shih will return
no longer. Whether
or not a particular ch'ing
shih is the type
that has a hidden superior
soul is, of
course, left to the DM.
FREQUENCY: Very rare
NO. APPEARING: 1-8
ARMOR CLASS: 3
M O V E : 12?
(15? when berserk)
HIT DICE: 7
% IN LAIR: 10%
TREASURE TYPE: Nil
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
(2 with breath)
D A M A G E / A T T A C
K : 2-12
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Poisonous
breath,
berserk attack
S P E C I A L
D E F E N S E S : Nil
MAGIC RESISTANCE:
Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Low
ALIGNMENT! Chaotic
evil
SIZE: M
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
The main attack of the ch'ing
shih is its
poisonous breath, which
can affect any
one person within 10' of
the creature. At
the same time, the ch'ing
shih can physically attack, doing 2-12 hp damage with a
clawed hand.
During its berserk attack,
which may be
used once per night for
3-12 melee
rounds, the ch?ing shih?s
strength is conside r e d t o b e 1
8 / 0 0 ( a d d i n g + 3 t o
h i t a n d + 6
to damage with its claws),
although the
creature's normal strength
is 15.
A cleric has the same chance
to turn a
ch'ing shih as he would a
spectre. An
exorcism spell can
also drive out the evil
P'o animating the corpse,
returning the
corpse to its formerly inactive
state.
While the vampire owes its
origin to
folklore, it owes its popularity
to movies
and fiction. In this century,
more than 100
movies have been made about
vampires.
The most popular and enduring
have been
based on Bram Stoker's novel
Dracula.
In 1921, F.W. Murnau made
a classic,
silent film version of the
story of Dracula.
Though he gave full credit
to Bram Stoker's novel, he didn't get permission to use
it. So, he altered the plot
and location
slightly. The result was
the movie Nosferatu. The film release was delayed (in fact,
nearly all copies of the
movie were
destroyed) by a lawsuit
with the Stoker
estate. It was eventually
released in London in 1928 and the U.S. in 1929. Since
then, it has continued to
be shown in the
art cinema theaters of the
world.
In 1931, the film
Dracula was released.
It starred Bela Lugosi and
was directed by
Tod Browning. The film was
so successful
that, for more than a generation,
the
names "Dracula" and "Bela
Lugosi" were
virtually synonymous.
In 1958, Hammer Films released
its
version of the story, entitled
The Horror of
Dracula. Terence Fisher
was the director;
Dracula was played by Christopher
Lee
(with Peter Cushing as Dr.
Van Helsing).
Once again, the performance
was so electrifying that the lead actor became identified with the vampire.
Christopher Lee
also went on to make a number
of other
movies in which he starred
as a vampire.
One of the latest remakes
of Dracula
starred Frank Langella.
Like Bela Lugosi,
Langella first starred in
a hit Broadway
play version of Dracula
before being chosen to star in the movie.
Besides the novel
Dracula by Bram Stoker, there are several other classic vampire
stories. The first well-known
vampire
story was written by Dr.
John William
Polidori and was entitled
The Vampyre.
For a long time, the story
was actually
attributed to Polidori's
better-known
friend, Lord Byron. The
tale came about
as the result of one evening
when the
physician Polidori, Lord
Byron, Percy
Bysshe Shelley, and the
daughters of Polidori and his friend Mr. Godwin sat reading
ghost stories to each other.
Because of that
evening, everyone present
decided to try
to write a horror story.
Two of them
became classics (Mr. Godwin?s
daughter
married Shelley; later,
as Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, she wrote Frankenstein: or,
The Modern Prometheus
-- the first
science-fiction novel).
Polidori's tale can be ?seen
as the start of
the vampire craze. While
little-known
today, the vampire of Polidori's
tale (Lord
Ruthven), was as well known
in the 19th
century as Dracula is today.
Just as movies
have been based on Dracula,
a number of
plays were based on Lord
Ruthven.
One of the best vampire
stories is the
novelette Carmilla
by Sheridan Le Fanu.
Carmilla first appeared
in a collection in
1872 entitled Through
a Glass Darkly
Carmilla is the archetype
of a female vampire, and the story has formed a base for
at least three movies. It
is probable that
the story inspired Bram
Stoker to write his
own vampire tale.
Vampire fiction is as popular
today as
ever. Fairly recent novels
dealing with
vampires include:
Salem's Lot, by Stephen
King;
The Hunger, by Whitley
Striber,
Fevre Dream, by George
R.R. Martin; and
Interview with a Vampire
and The Vampire Lestat, by Anne Rice.
Series of novels about vampires
are also currently popular.
Vampire series include:
The Dracula Tapes,
The Holmes-Dracula File,
An Old Friend of the Family,
and
Thorn by Fred Saberhagen;
Bloodright: The Memoirs
of Mircea,
Son of Dracula,
The Revenge of Dracula,
and Dracula, My Love,
by Peter Tremayne;
Hotel Transylvania,
The Palace,
Blood Games,
Tempting Fate, and
Path of the Eclipse
by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro; and
The Black Castle,
The Silver Skull,
and
Citizen Vampire by
Les Daniels -- and
there are always "Dark Shadows"
reruns on television for die-hard fans.
And with that, good evening. . . .
