Vampire Dilettante
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 Standard Darkvision, 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: Cannot heal damage on its own (if it has no Int), but healed by negative energy.
Weakness: 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; CMD 26
'Feats -
Skills Diplomacy 15, Bluff 18, Knowledge, Local 12
Languages Necril, Common, Thanic.
Special Abilities
<special abilities should have a save DC 19>
<special attack damage (standard action): 5d6+1>
<special attack damage (aoe’s, swift actions or inflicting status effects): 2d6+2>
- 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.
- Vampires Hiss (Ex)
Once per round as a standard action, a Vampire may pour its hunger for life into an ear-shredding hunter'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.
- 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 vs a DC of 19 to take half damage. Once summoned a Swarm of Bats remains until dismissed (a free action) 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.
Treasure
sell value of approximately 5,000 gp
Combat Tactics
<describe typical actions taken during combat here>