Vampire

Basic Abilities

At first level, you receive:

• +1 to Str, Dex, Con, and Cha (modifier, not score)
• Undead
• Unholy: cannot enter a threshold without invitation, nor hallowed ground of any kind. If forced inside, compelled without saving throw to escape at fastest speed.
• Resist (necrotic), vulnerable (radiant)
• You suffer 33% max HP in internal, unavoidable damage each round you spend in running water or sunlight
• When staked in the heart with wood, a vampire is rendered helpless
• When presented with a holy symbol by a faithful mortal, vampire is warded as Turn Undead
• Blood drain: at-will, melee, std; medium piercing damage, plus, if piercing damage is not avoided, 1d4 Con damage. You gain the drained Con as Blood (see below)

At each level, including first, you receive:

• One talent (see below)
• 6 Hit Points
• 1 Mana
• +1 racial bonus to Str, Dex, Con, or Cha (can't repeat adjacent levels)

Blood

You gain an attribute called Blood, representing the amount of life energy you've drained.

• Min value: -5
• Max value: +5

You may use Blood for any ability that specifically requires it, or as follows:

• As a substitute for Mana (1:1)
• At-will, immediate; you heal for 1d10 HP per Blood expended.

Every day, your Blood decreases by 1 automatically, as it sustains your existence.

When your Blood is negative, you suffer a compulsion to feed (rules TBD). Below -5, you lose control of your character and immediately seek sustenance until your Blood is maxed out.

Variants

Vedic Court (Rakshasa)

• You can use Bite as a melee-range action requiring only eye contact. The effect is the same.
• Vulnerability to wood replaced with brass
• Vulnerability to running water replaced with Vulnerable (fire)

Ideas:

• possession
• reaper abilities
• tiger form (shapeshifting in general)

Talents

Every level, you may choose one talent from the below list, as long as you meet any noted prerequisites:

• Vampy Speed: gain +6 to movement.
• Natural Armor: gain a +5 natural armor bonus to AC.
• Alternate Form: you can take the form of a natural animal whose CR doesn't exceed your rank.
  • Children of the Night: you can summon an animal whose CR doesn't exceed your rank (or 2 of rank-1, or 4 of rank-2, etc)
  • Flock Form: you can take swam form.
• Gaseous Form: at-will, swift; you become mist. You're invulnerable to physical effects and targeted magic, but cannot take actions other than to drift at half your movement speed. Drains 1 Mana per round.
  • Mist Defense: you can engage Gaseous Form as a reaction.
  • Misty Teleport: at-will, move; you turn into mist, then fly up to 30-ft, then reconstitute (optionally). Costs 1 Mana.
• Spider Climb: you can effortlessly cling to any solid wall or ceiling (as long as it can support the weight)
• Unholy Resistance: you gain Resist to all weapons that are not blessed or silver.
• Super Strength:
  • You can wield oversize weapons (scale +1). Improvised weapons (such as dumpsters) are still at a disadvantage to hit, but inflict double damage. Purpose-built oversize weapons (like Buster Swords) are the answer to removing disadvantage.
  • Failing a Strength check means partial success, and partial success means success.
  • You can use Strength checks to open locks.
  • For 1 Blood, you can inflict damage similar to a battering ram.
• Super Strength, rank 2
  • Automatically pass all Strength checks that you can beat with a roll of 29 or lower.
  • For 1 Strain to Strength, you can inflict damage similar to a medium-sized car crashing at 40 mph. You can effortless inflict damage like a battering ram.
• Super Speed
  • [[Dash]]: You can move your normal speed as a free action (max once/rd). Very useful for interrupting.
  • [[Zoom]]: As a move action, you can move up to twice your normal speed, without provoking opportunity attacks, or four times normal speed, if moving in a straight line. If you take only this action multiple rounds in a row, your speed compounds (+100% per round) until it reaches 10 times normal.
  • Overland travel speed: 120 mph comfortably, 240 mph at a hustle.

Notes

Baseline blood mechanics:

• While engorged, you have fast healing (not necessarily on a combat scale, but much faster than is natural)
• While starved, you are empowered, but unable to control yourself