Vampire Dilettante

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Vampire Dilettante (CR 10)

Vampires are one of the great nations of Undeath. Vampires are Emptied Undead, meaning they have been cored out of life. Unlike most of the Emptied, they do not noticeably decay, although during battle their disgusting nature is amply evident in the mess they leave behind. Vampires are the greatest representatives of the Corrupting Undead, those undead who seek the preservation and continuation of life, so that they may corrupt it into ever more Undeath. As a result, the motivations of Vampires are more complex than the Destroying Undead or the Eaters.

Vampires like people. They like the trappings of civilization, they like the happy whirl of social life, they enjoy the company of others, both undead and living alike. Vampires want to make more Vampires, it is an erotic part of their existence that they would be greatly diminished by losing.

Vampires get along well with most other Undead, even though relations often involve the Vampires using their domination abilities or simply persuading the other Undead to be patient. It is not unusual for Vampires to be encountered with powerful Skeletons, Wights, Death Knights, Liches, and other mighty Undead, even including the Lost Ones, who make terrifying allies indeed.

On top of this, Vampires are unique among Undeath in that they create living allies, their Vampiric Thralls. The existence of Vampiric Thralls makes finding a Vampire nest immeasurably more difficult, because Vampire Thralls are alive. Thralls are mortals who admire and envy the Vampires for their abilities, and whom the Vampires have fed their blood to. Vampire Blood can create new Vampires, or, in lesser doses, a living human becomes addicted to it, as if it were strong drink, or some horrifyingly strong opiate.

Vampire thralls are the first rank of Vampire culture, the eternally obedient and awfully empowered servants whom the Vampires use to interact with the daytime world. But to a Vampire, the faithful Thralls are just servants and fighters, meat to be sacrificed and used up as required. No, most Vampires are far more occupied with the byzantine machinations of Vampiric Society, a dark carousel of midnight parties and dalliances in dark corners, plots and plans and schemes all woven together into a fascinating skein complex enough to keep even an immortal monster entertained.

Vampire Dilettantes are new to the Dark Dance, those vampires who have just dropped out of life and are newly embracing the Black River as it flows beneath the surface. Dilettantes are almost all willing converts to Vampirism: Those who fight too hard against the Blood's Song generally are flawed in their descent into darkness and become lesser, weaker things, scorned in Vampire Society but ever-so useful.

Dilettantes are new, fresh faces, and as a result, they are pampered and adored by their elders, doted upon and desired, gifted and feted. Dilettantes are expected to survive on their own for their first decades, but it is foolish to think that just because they are new in the Crimson Whorl that they are ignored by the great old terrible monsters out there.

Every Dilettante represents a Vampires' Child, and while the great old monsters will not usually lift a finger to help, anyone who harms a Dilettante will be remembered for long and long indeed.

General

CR 10 Hit Dice 15

XP 9,600

NE, Medium, Undead

Init +5; Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Perception +15

Defense

AC 30, touch 19, flat-footed 25 (+6 armor, +5 dex, +5 natural, +4 deflection)

hp 175

Fort +12, Ref +12, Will +15

Aura: -

SR: -

Special Defenses: -

Immunities:

• all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, morale effects, patterns, and phantasms)
• disease, poison, ability damage, ability drain, energy drain
• death effects, necromancy effects, sleep effects
• nonlethal damage
• paralysis, stunning, fatigue, exhaustion
• any effect that requires a Fortitude save (unless the effect also works on objects, or is harmless)

Weaknesses:

• Healed by negative energy.
• Vampires take 10 points of non-resistable energy damage any time they end their turn in a square subject to daylight. This applies once per round in combat, or ten times per minute outside of combat. This weakness does NOT increase or decrease the damage a vampire takes from specific undead-damaging effects and attacks

Offense

Speed 40 ft., Fly 40 ft

Space / Reach: 5 ft. / 5 ft.

Single Melee Vampires Bite +18 (2d8+10/x2) + Bleed 10

Full Melee Vampires Bite +18 (2d8+10/x2) + Bleed 10, 2x Elegant Claws +20 (2d6+2/x2)

Ranged None, but see Mesmerizing Gaze and Swarm of Bats

Special Attacks Mesmerizing Gaze, Swarm of Bats, Vampires Hiss

Action Points 0

Statistics

Str 20, Dex 21, Con -, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 22

Base Atk +10; CMB +16; Maneuver Defense: 26

Feats -

Skills Diplomacy 15, Bluff 18, Knowledge, Local 12

Languages Necril, Common, Thanic.

Special Abilities

Mesmerizing Gaze (Su)

Once per round, as a swift action, Vampires may pour their charismatic essence into their piercing gaze and attempt to lull a mortal creature within 100 feet into sleep. The Vampire chooses a target to which it has line of sight and line of effect and forces them to roll a Will save versus a DC of 19. If they fail the save they are Sluggish until the end of their next round. If they make the save, they are Drowsy until the end of their next round.

Vampire's Hiss (Ex)

Once per round as a standard action, a Vampire may pour its hunger for life into an ear-shredding vampire's hiss. This affects a fifteen foot cone, is a sonic-based area of effect attack which can damage objects, as the Bard's Staccato ability. All enemy creatures in the area of effect take 5d6+1 points of sonic damage, and may make a Fort save for half damage. If used to attack objects, the Vampire may make on Sunder on a single object in the area of affect using its CMB (+16).

Swarm of Bats (Sp)

Once per round as a standard action, a Vampire may create a Swarm of Bats within 100 feet of its square. It must have line of sight and line of effect to the target square. A Swarm of Bats fills a three by three square around a target square. When it is created, a Swarm of Bats inflicts 5d6+1 points of slashing (physical) damage on all creatures in the area of effect. Affected creatures are allowed to make a reflex save, DC 19, for half damage. Once summoned, a Swarm of Bats remains until dismissed (a free action that can only be performed at the bottom of the summoning Vampire's turn) by the vampire that summoned them, or the end of the combat. On all rounds after they are summoned, Swarms of Bats block line of sight and line of effect through their squares. Any creature who enters a square affected by a Swarm of Bats suffers Bleed 10. Note that Bleeds do not stack.

Immortality (Su)

Vampires cannot be killed by normal means. If a Vampire is reduced below zero hitpoints, it will lie in moldering ruin until the next night. It will then rise with a single hitpoint and go hunting to feed. To destroy a Vampire, you must kill it and expose it to sunlight the next day. Alternatively, you can place a stake through the heart of a Vampire and it will not be destroyed, but it will not rise as long as the stake remains. Lastly, if you decapitate a Vampire or burn it's body completely, it will not rise in that case either.

Treasure

sell value of approximately 5,000 gp

Combat Tactics

Vampire Dilettantes are young, energetic Vampires who are often still drunk of the sheer power of their undead state. That said, they are intelligent and fairly wise. Dilettantes can and should have many personality types, ranging from indolent party animals to highly aggressive skinhead-style thugs and everything in between. Referees are encouraged to have fun role-playing vampires as much as they want. Chew that scenery!

As a result of their widely varied personalities, Vampires can and do have many different styles of combat. Indolent types will hang back, send in a Thrall or two if they have them, and blanket parties in Swarms of Bats and start hissing when they get closer, backing away the whole time. More aggressive types will dive right in and go to full attacks, fighting alongside any Thralls, sure the thralls will work their hearts out to protect them as much as possible. Vampire fights should be wild, fast-moving affairs where the terrain changes frequently due to Swarms of Bats. Vampires are fully aware that Swarms block line of sight and line of effect, meaning they can be thrown on top of spell casters to shut them right down, and even the more pugnacious types will do this if they are aware of a dangerous caster.

Vampires are well aware of the power of their inflicted bleeds to stunt the healing effects of divine casters, and will be sure to hit any divine caster they see with Swarms and bites to be darn sure there are as many Bleeds as possible, to lower the chance of the Divine caster simply blasting them out of existence. Vampires like existence.

Once a fight begins vampires want to win, quickly and easily. If a fight turns nasty, they will usually run away without hesitation, abandoning any Thralls without a second thought. To flee, Vampires will usually use their considerable flight to break around a corner and then evade into the heavens.

NOTE: It should go without saying that Vampires, due to their weakness to daylight, avoid the sun like death. Vampires are indeed creatures of the night.