Vampire Characters
Vampires are undead immortal creatures which feast upon fresh blood in order to prevent their bodies from decaying. How exactly they came into being is lost to the annals of time (although there are some dedicated Intelligencers and even curious vampires who dedicate their lives to discovering the truth) but what matters is that they exist here and now.
They all have the following traits:
Blood Hunger - A vampire must feed on the fresh blood of a human being every three days minimum or they start to weaken (starving). For each subsequent day that they fail to feed, their statline is reduced by 2 points (to a minimum of 1). As this happens, their physical appearance will begin to decay drastically until they become obviously inhuman to the natural eye, more akin to sickening and scrawny creatures with rancid grey, cold skin. When starving, the vampire must entirely drain a human victim for each stat point it wants to recover. (So if a vampire had been starving for two days, thus at -4 to all stats, it would need to drain four victims to regain its full strength)
To avoid this, vampires who are careful enough can make a victim last for a long time, feeding on them in small doses every day to avoid both starvation and killing the victim. For some this is unacceptable, and does not compare to the feeling of a full feeding.
The Light Burns! - vampires in open sunlight start to burn up, in a horrifically painful process until they have wasted away. For every five seconds that a vampire is exposed to any UV light (from the sun or otherwise) they lose 3 wounds. If they reach 0 wounds before finding cover that fully obscures the source of light, then they burn away into ash and are irrevocably dead. Also, when dawn approaches, vampires feel a strong, instinctive need to hide and sleep. Unless in immediate danger, a vampire will naturally sleep from about 5-6am until the sunset. It can sense the light fading and begins to wake up naturally. When asleep, a vampire is not completely unconscious - survival instincts keep them somewhat aware of their surroundings. That is to say, it isn't impossible to sneak up on a slumbering vampire but is by no means easy, especially if they have thralls guarding them.
The Bite - if a vampire bites someone and they survive the encounter with the vampire in question, then they have a week before they will be fully transformed into another vampire.
Ambrosios - vampires do not age and, unless starving, retain the appearance and physical age they had when they were first turned. More than that, they have an incredibly fast healing rate, even capable of regenerating lost limbs over time. Any vampire can regain all of its wounds after one feeding session. The only way to kill a vampire other than sunlight is to decapitate it with a silver weapon, drive a stake through its heart (contrary to popular belief they do beat), or trap it on a very hot fire for at least an hour. Vampires are not cursed with a weakness to fire, but a hot enough flame will eventually overpower the speed at which they heal. Furthermore, vampires are burned by anything silver (enough to be significantly painful) and cannot break anything made of silver. This means if you have a silver chain and a high-walled courtyard in which to place your vampire, then dawn shall do the rest of the work. Good luck trapping one in such a compromising situation. Oh, there is one other way to kill a vampire - get another vampire (or even a werewolf) to tear off its head, as they alone possess the necessary strength. In any case, the only way this is ever possible is when the vampire has been reduced to 0 wounds and is at the mercy of its defeaters.
Unnatural Speed - all vampires are incredibly fast. They have a 4+ dodge save against any attacks that they can feasibly dodge (ordinary combat). If they are caught in an explosion, burst of fire, are incapacitated or simply cannot move, then they cannot use this save. If they wear any armour then they cannot use this save as it slows them down too much, even with their great strength, as it takes all of their concentration and ability to dodge bullets and blades.
Magic - vampires are not mortal in more ways than one. The fact that they can use what the layman has called 'magic' for thousands of years is a very good example. To use magic, the player controlling the vampire chooses a spell to use and then the GM rolls a number of D6 and adds them together. If it is underneath the vampire's WP stat, then the spell is successful. If the roll is over their WP, they have failed and the spell is ineffective. If the same number comes up twice or more, then the vampire suffers an additional wound for each repeat. While powerful, magic can drain them to use. As such, some vampires swear off the practice entirely, not daring to risk weakening themselves. For others the risk is well worth it in return for great power. A vampire can choose to know a number of spells equal to half of its WP stat, rounding up. (e.g. a vampire who has WP: 7 can know up to 4 spells). All spells require 2d6 to be rolled when they are used. This is called the Magic Threshold (MT). A character may only cast one spell per combat round (about 5-10 seconds).
The maximum stats of a vampire are as follows:
Vampire:
WS: 8
BS: 8
S: 8
T: 7
W: 8
I: 9
A: 5
WP: 12
The starting stats for a vampire are as follows:
WS: 4
BS: 4
S: 6
T: 5
W: 3
I: 5
A: 2
WP: 7
Vampire characters then have an extra 7 stat points to spend. (for a total of 20 above the ordinary human)
Traits: (choose 0-1)
Half-breed - this character is half-human, half-vampire, and is considered an abhorrent abomination by almost all true vampires. However, they are not destroyed or even harmed by sunlight. Unfortunately, due to their heritage, their powers are diluted. They are no longer immortal (although live twice as long as an ordinary human) and all of their starting stats are reduced by 1.
The Elite - an old, powerful vampire, this character has found its way into society's elite. They have wealth, resources and usually a well-defended hideout such as the top level of a skyscraper. As a result of their age and status, they are suitably respected and feared by their fellow vampires. However, it becomes even harder to hide their identity due to the publicity and expensive lifestyles these individuals live. This must be reflected in-character (e.g. paparazzi, having to attend meetings etc) and can often be turned to the advantage of the character's enemies. Of course, any member of the Elite is an expert in concealing their double life and true nature, meaning they aren't so easily fooled. Furthermore, The Elite
must have a special rival NPC created with the GM, representing the natural competition who are powerful enough to actually cause the character inconvenience (not necessarily a vampire).
Creature of the Night - a rare breed, these vampires have a pair of large, leathery bat-like wings protruding from their back. They can fly! However this makes them rather inconspicuous and causes them a great deal of trouble when trying to hide in modern society. What few of these creatures still exist mostly dwell in extremely rural areas where they won't often come across people. These vampires do have one natural advantage over their kin however: they can survive off the blood of any warm-blooded mammal, rather than just humans, which helps them survive on the fringes of society. However, if they haven't fed on a human for more than three days, but continue to feed on animal blood, then they don't count as starving but do still suffer -1 to all stats until they next feed on a human victim.
Equipment: nothing beyond the ordinary unless they can acquire it in the game. Firearms and most other weapons are illegal to own in Nova City, so they will have to acquire any such items through devious means. An unarmed vampire is still incredibly dangerous, more than most humans are even with a weapon.
Spells: (note, any vampire with a maxed-out WP of 12 can autocast any spell with a MT less than 3d6 but could still suffer additional wounds so a roll is always made anyway)
Exsanguinate - The vampire forces the blood within the target's veins to burst forth in a horrifying display as blood streams from every available orifice. To use this spell, the vampire must make a magic test and then a BS test. Exsanguinate has the following profile:
Range (very short) Strength (7) AP (2) (assault 1)
MT: 2d6
Life Leech - the vampire focuses their malice and greed into physical manifestation, stealing the very life essence from someone. If successfully cast, the character transfers one wound from any one PC or NPC nearby and replenishes two wounds (including the 1 it took to cast this spell). However, be wary, if an additional wound is lost while using this power then you do not gain that back as well, making this power a gamble in terms of effectiveness.
MT: 2d6
Crimson Mist - In an hour long ritual involving the 'death' of the caster, the vampire becomes a roiling cloud of Vitae, able to possess the bodies and minds of creatures. Vampires can travel in the daylight in this form, but must find a host within an hour or suffer the normal effects for being caught in the sun. A creature in the thrall of a vampire is under his total control, performing any action regardless of the danger to their own person. If the host is killed, the vampire is forced back into his mortal form and suffers 1 Wound from psychic backlash. Main characters cannot be possessed, but NPCs are fair game.
MT: 2d6
Dark Guardian - the vampire summons an evil spirit to fight on their side. It appears as a ghostly black fog that takes a semi-physical form to attack. It will remain manifested for 3 rounds or until destroyed. If it is destroyed then a D6 is rolled; on a 5-6, the character who destroyed the Dark Guardian has nightmares for the next few weeks as the evil spirit haunts them. It fights with the following profile:
WS: 4
BS: 2
S: 4
T: 4
W: 2
I: 6
A: 2
WP: 10
MT: 2d6
Temporal Flux - The character surrounds themselves with an Unholy Aura which warps reality in a localized area, granting the user the ability to attack with supernatural precision. This power is used at the start of any combat round. If successfully cast it enables the caster to re-roll all rolls to hit and to wound that round.
MT: 2d6
Master's Lure - Ensnared by the vampire's powers, those affected by this spell find themselves in thrall to his will. If successfully cast, it grants the user the ability to enthrall (for one combat phase) one opposing PC or NPC, who must pass a WP test on 2d6 to resist the effects.
MT: 2d6
The Burn - the vampire causes one held item or piece of armour to burn with an insufferable heat. The enemy must drop/remove the affected item/armour immediately or else suffer a wound. The next round the item/armour will return to normal.
MT: 2d6
Ward - a protective magical barrier defends the vampire against blows, shots, falling rubble etc. This spell is cast at the start of a combat round and grants the vampire a 3+ invulnerable save for one round.
MT: 2d6
Ice Flechettes - dozens of tiny, sharp ice needles shoot towards the target. A BS test is required to hit. Range (short) Strength (3) AP (5) (assault 4)
MT: 2d6
Hurricane - a small but powerful blast of wind is summoned by the vampire, surrounding them. If successful, everyone within 10 meters of the vampire must make a strength test on 1d6 at -4 or be knocked over. This power stuns anyone who fails for one round but does no actual damage. Excellent power to use if the vampire wants to escape a fight, or leave enemies vulnerable to their minions (who also have to test, however). This power takes up the shooting phase of the vampire's combat round, but leaves them free to engage anyone nearby in close combat as normal.
MT: 2d6
Lightning Bolt - a blast of deadly lightning leaps from the palm of the vampire's hand, electrocuting and frying the target. A BS test is required to hit.
Range (medium) Strength (10) AP (2) (heavy 1)
MT: 2d6
Touch of the Sun - The vampire unleashes a blinding burst of light, that affects all supernatural creatures in the area. Used at the start of any player combat, if the vampire successfully passes a magic test this power is may be used with the following effects:
Against Vampires, TOTS causes D3+1 wounds instantly with no save.
Against Werewolves, TOTS Causes them to instantly revert to human form, but does no damage. They are forced to remain in human form for the next three rounds.
MT: 2d6
ArtifactsA vampire may have acquired an ancient vampire artifact, whether by chance or after years of following archaic clues to locate its final resting place. A vampire may either gain 1 additional stat point, or choose one of the following artifacts.
- Blood Chalice: this mystical golden goblet enhances the vampire's natural powers when blood is consumed from it. The vampire can do this even in the middle of a battle, provided it can get to cover for one round and there is a source of blood available (e.g. a thrall). If this is done, then the vampire regains all of its lost wounds and gains +2 attacks for the next 3 rounds. This can only be done once per day.
- Blood-stained Warplate: this set of armour follows an old style of craftsmanship, jagged yet strong and beautiful, in its own harsh way. It grants only a 5+ armour save against ranged attacks, but in close-combat provides a 2+ armour save.
- Parasitic Talisman: these ancient totems are warm to the touch. When using blood magic, a character with a Parasitic Talisman can transfer any wounds lost from casting a spell onto a willing target, usually a vampire thrall (one of your own NPCs).
- Draining Dagger: a two-pronged dagger designed to allow vampires with a sense of etiquette to drain their victim without using their teeth like a savage, so that the blood may be drank like any other liquid. Favoured by The Elite as a status symbol, it is also an AP2 melee weapon as the vampire strikes at the vulnerable areas in the foe's armour. However, it is a small and swift weapon, and as such strikes at -3 to the vampire's strength characteristic.
- The Crimson Warhammer: a heavy two-handed melee weapon designed to kill without spilling much blood, it is old and fearsome. It gives the wielder +4 strength (and AP 5) in close combat, but reduces their attacks to 1 due to how cumbersome it is, even for a vampire.
- Tome of Blood: this ancient and battered book has had a lot of owners, even amongst long-lived vampires. A vampire with the Tome of Blood knows
all magic spells available, however they must carry the Tome on their person. The Tome itself is imbued with magic, and if it is ever destroyed then anyone within twenty meters will take an automatic hit from the Exsanguinate power with no saves possible.
ThrallsUsing magic over time to overcome a victim's own will, a vampire can forge eternally loyal servants. They retain their memories and personality, but have an adoration and loyalty to the vampire which cannot be changed. They will gladly give up their life's work and die for the vampire the very next day, if need be. They will carry out any command, no matter how evil or twisted, to the best of their ability. Even if forced into committing monstrous acts, the thrall will have no sense of guilt or shame about it, because to them the vampire is a god and anything done in its name is the most important cause in the world. A vampire starts with two thralls, but can potentially subvert another if given a lot of time and preparation, however this is a difficult and lengthy process. They are vital to a vampire as they carry out their will in the daytime and guard them in their sleep, so some vampires view them as beloved servants to be protected while to others they are meaningless slaves to throw away at a moment's notice.
They have the stats of an ordinary human as follows:
WS: 2
BS: 2
S: 3
T: 3
W: 3
I: 3
A: 1
WP: 6
Equipment: pistol, knife
Vampire thralls have five stat points to spend.