What is a vampire?
It's a topic of academic controversy. Sure, everyone can agree that the pasty fellow who can't come out in sunlight and needs to drink blood is a vampire, but what is it in those traits that makes them a vampire?
Sabre-toothed cats have fangs, but they aren't vampires. Lampreys feed primarily on blood, but they aren't vampires. Spectres lose their power in sunlight, and they even have a life-draining attack, but they aren't vampires.(Unless they are)
Like most things, it's a matter of academic debate. The Church holds that vampire is any being which both drains the blood of victims, and is harmed by sunlight. Other variations may still be demons, but not specifically vampires. To the primarily cave-dwelling Dueregar, sensitivity to sunlight loses most of its meaning, and most people will agree that something is a vampire as long as its some sort of undead that feeds on blood. To the people of Illearth, drinking blood is an extreme blasphemy, and they don't really care what you are, because most things die just fine when you burn them at the stake.
The academics will probably never stop fighting about this. That's just the way they are. Good for them, but not for the rest of us. Most of us have a vague idea of what a vampire is, and nailing down the exact specifics isn't high on our priority list. So, here's a bunch of vampires or vampire-like monsters for you to argue over the status of, you academic bastards.
Carnivorous Water:
You remember this from my last article? The one I published literally last night?
I think this was the strongest idea on it, and now I'm developing it more.
"Carnivorous Water" is just the common name, but its a fairly accurate one. The substance inside isn't technically water, but it acts like water, and they are carnivorous.
Carnivorous Water is an sort of psuedo-ooze, because unlike true oozes, it is not acidic, nor is it a single-celled organism. Instead, Carnivorous Water corresponds closer to an undead, in that it is normally non-living material that is held together and animated by magic. When you smack Carnivorous Water with a hammer, it responds like a really strong water balloon. It'll ripple and move, even bend inwards, but you won't break the surface. This is the magic which holds it together. Once that magical energy runs out, it loses all cohesion, and with that cohesion, its life.
This ability is selective. The barrier naturally strengthens in response to being struck, exerting just enough energy to stop the strike from breaching the surface, but it can also be selectively weakened in order to absorb objects. What is it absorbing?Well, that's where the carnivorous part comes in. Carnivorous Water isn't a summoned creature, so it can't rely on a constant flow of energy from its creator to keep it alive. As it turns out, blood holds quite a bit of energy, and in comparison to magical artifacts, blood is abundant. But how does it get the blood? It could scavenge, but that's inefficient and overly luck based. Instead, Carnivorous Water absorbs sharp objects. Any sharp object will do. Pointed rocks, rusty nails, discarded teeth, an entire fucking sword, as long as it can draw blood, it's useful. It hunts by ambush, hiding sitting somewhere inconspicuous until some prey comes along, then bursting out and attempting to engulf the prey. If this succeeds, the Water will then swirl around its insides and let all the debris it's managed to collect carve up the unfortunate victim. Once the Water is satisfied with its meal, it just slithers off to convert the collected blood into energy. This is when they're at their most vulnerable - Hunting takes energy, and the splashes of red destroy any sort of natural camouflage the Water might enjoy.
The Water is an animal, and isn't averse to fleeing if it feels like sticking around isn't worth the risk, there's an easier source of food nearby, or even if it just feels full. If you're carrying around a bucket of blood, simply splash any Water that seems to threaten you, and the beast will just sit still and digest its meal. No need for a difficult hunt when food is being quite literally thrown at it.
Elephants often keep Carnivorous Waters, either as pets or to use them as war-beasts against humanoids. You can stab an elephant with a knife, and your knife will just embed harmlessly into the skin. Rusty nails hardly pose any sort of threat to them.
If you use these, please come up with a better name for them than "Carnivorous Water", and then please tell me that name, because "Carnivorous Water" is a terrible name. I will 100% edit the article to include that name.
I think this was the strongest idea on it, and now I'm developing it more.
"Carnivorous Water" is just the common name, but its a fairly accurate one. The substance inside isn't technically water, but it acts like water, and they are carnivorous.
Carnivorous Water is an sort of psuedo-ooze, because unlike true oozes, it is not acidic, nor is it a single-celled organism. Instead, Carnivorous Water corresponds closer to an undead, in that it is normally non-living material that is held together and animated by magic. When you smack Carnivorous Water with a hammer, it responds like a really strong water balloon. It'll ripple and move, even bend inwards, but you won't break the surface. This is the magic which holds it together. Once that magical energy runs out, it loses all cohesion, and with that cohesion, its life.
This ability is selective. The barrier naturally strengthens in response to being struck, exerting just enough energy to stop the strike from breaching the surface, but it can also be selectively weakened in order to absorb objects. What is it absorbing?Well, that's where the carnivorous part comes in. Carnivorous Water isn't a summoned creature, so it can't rely on a constant flow of energy from its creator to keep it alive. As it turns out, blood holds quite a bit of energy, and in comparison to magical artifacts, blood is abundant. But how does it get the blood? It could scavenge, but that's inefficient and overly luck based. Instead, Carnivorous Water absorbs sharp objects. Any sharp object will do. Pointed rocks, rusty nails, discarded teeth, an entire fucking sword, as long as it can draw blood, it's useful. It hunts by ambush, hiding sitting somewhere inconspicuous until some prey comes along, then bursting out and attempting to engulf the prey. If this succeeds, the Water will then swirl around its insides and let all the debris it's managed to collect carve up the unfortunate victim. Once the Water is satisfied with its meal, it just slithers off to convert the collected blood into energy. This is when they're at their most vulnerable - Hunting takes energy, and the splashes of red destroy any sort of natural camouflage the Water might enjoy.
The Water is an animal, and isn't averse to fleeing if it feels like sticking around isn't worth the risk, there's an easier source of food nearby, or even if it just feels full. If you're carrying around a bucket of blood, simply splash any Water that seems to threaten you, and the beast will just sit still and digest its meal. No need for a difficult hunt when food is being quite literally thrown at it.
Elephants often keep Carnivorous Waters, either as pets or to use them as war-beasts against humanoids. You can stab an elephant with a knife, and your knife will just embed harmlessly into the skin. Rusty nails hardly pose any sort of threat to them.
If you use these, please come up with a better name for them than "Carnivorous Water", and then please tell me that name, because "Carnivorous Water" is a terrible name. I will 100% edit the article to include that name.
Amentique Vampires:
Ay, things that everyone can recognize as vampires!
For the most part, Amentique Vampires fit the basic concept of a vampire. They're pale, ethereal creatures that feed on blood and have weird powers. They can't turn into wolves or bats or anything of that sort, but they can transform into mist, and they're the sort of vampire you might expect to see sailing upon a moonbeam.
Unlike the traditional vampire, they tend to be a bit off in the head. Amentique Vampires are often seen hanging around fey, and it has been speculated that the bloodline was originated by some fey meddling. They're nomadic, travelling just as often in small groups as they do alone. Many prefer to interact with people before feeding on them. To an Amentique Vampire, feeding shouldn't be a calculated act of predation, but instead the culmination of a wondrous night of dance and revelry. Comics, poets, musicians, dancers, casanovas - Whatever and Amentique does, they'll do it so well that you'll barely care when they bite you.
You shouldn't mistake revelry for genuine affection, but neither should you always assume that genuine affection does not exist. In Afary, a common folk tale is that of a abused girl, visited by an Amentique. So moved is the Amentique by both her tragic tale and grace in revelry that he rescues her away her family, and takes her as his bride. On the other side of the world, in Chalea, another tale speaks of a young man, scorned by his community for perceived femininity. After being visited by an Amentique of noble standing, the young man awakens to find a sword forged of moonlight left behind as a parting gift. This story is often used in Chalea to explain why homophobia is stupid and wrong, because Chalea is the gay capital of the world. Heterosexuality is seen as distasteful, and childbearing is seen as an ugly yet necessary practice. Chalea has a fair few stories like this, but this one, often called "The Amentique Stranger", is one of the most popular. As a consequence, the people of Chalea have very positive feelings about the Amentique.
For the most part, Amentique Vampires fit the basic concept of a vampire. They're pale, ethereal creatures that feed on blood and have weird powers. They can't turn into wolves or bats or anything of that sort, but they can transform into mist, and they're the sort of vampire you might expect to see sailing upon a moonbeam.
Unlike the traditional vampire, they tend to be a bit off in the head. Amentique Vampires are often seen hanging around fey, and it has been speculated that the bloodline was originated by some fey meddling. They're nomadic, travelling just as often in small groups as they do alone. Many prefer to interact with people before feeding on them. To an Amentique Vampire, feeding shouldn't be a calculated act of predation, but instead the culmination of a wondrous night of dance and revelry. Comics, poets, musicians, dancers, casanovas - Whatever and Amentique does, they'll do it so well that you'll barely care when they bite you.
You shouldn't mistake revelry for genuine affection, but neither should you always assume that genuine affection does not exist. In Afary, a common folk tale is that of a abused girl, visited by an Amentique. So moved is the Amentique by both her tragic tale and grace in revelry that he rescues her away her family, and takes her as his bride. On the other side of the world, in Chalea, another tale speaks of a young man, scorned by his community for perceived femininity. After being visited by an Amentique of noble standing, the young man awakens to find a sword forged of moonlight left behind as a parting gift. This story is often used in Chalea to explain why homophobia is stupid and wrong, because Chalea is the gay capital of the world. Heterosexuality is seen as distasteful, and childbearing is seen as an ugly yet necessary practice. Chalea has a fair few stories like this, but this one, often called "The Amentique Stranger", is one of the most popular. As a consequence, the people of Chalea have very positive feelings about the Amentique.
Aesthetically speaking, the Amentique aren't really Gothic. They love moonlight, and their clothing is often primarily white. If you want an example of someone who is aesthetically Amentique, check out David Bowie during the Thin White Duke era. Hell, the Thin White Duke as a whole might make a good basis for an evil Amentique, and it gives you an excuse to look at David Bowie, a thing which I will never turn down.
The Amentique are some of the best moon-smiths in the world. If you want someone to weave you a cloak out of moonlight, the Amentique would be top candidates. The only issues are finding the Amentique, and then finding something that they'd actually accept as payment.
In some parts of the world, people will say that someone feeling especially sluggish and tired was "Danced with an Amentique", the same way we might say someone "Got up on the wrong side of the bed." Like, "Ay, don't worry about Doracas, e' was just visited by an Amentique. I'm sure e'll be better in no time."
The Amentique are some of the best moon-smiths in the world. If you want someone to weave you a cloak out of moonlight, the Amentique would be top candidates. The only issues are finding the Amentique, and then finding something that they'd actually accept as payment.
In some parts of the world, people will say that someone feeling especially sluggish and tired was "Danced with an Amentique", the same way we might say someone "Got up on the wrong side of the bed." Like, "Ay, don't worry about Doracas, e' was just visited by an Amentique. I'm sure e'll be better in no time."
Auctor Vampires:
Auctor Vampires are weird. They're one of the types that is nigh-universally recognized as vampires, but compared to most other variations, they're really quite weak. Generally thought to have originated an experimental attempt to achieve immortality, they are, in that regard, mostly a success. Their lifespans are most likely indefinite, and at the very least immensely extended. They are capable of entering a torpor state to remain inactive for large periods of time, but this is risky, as they can't wake up at will, and the exact length of a torpor is imprecise. The margin of error is around 5% more or less time than they originally intended to sleep for.
As for powers... They don't really have much. Any humanoid victim drained entirely as blood reanimates as a zombie in perpetuity, but the zombies are stupid, clumsy, and often make it much more difficult to hide in populated areas. On the bright side, they don't have many weaknesses, either. Sunlight is irritating, but not crippling. A stake through the heart or beheading will still kill them, but for the same reason those things can kill any humanoid. They have no exceptional defenses, methods of healing, powers of transformation, nothing. For many Auctor, vampirism can feel more like a crippling food allergy.
They can't even reproduce normally. The only Auctor capable of turning others are the "Progenitor" Auctor, of which very few exist. The only way to become a Progenitor is to kill an existing one and consume their blood.
This puts the Auctor in a very tricky situation. The number of Progenitors can never increase, but it is quite capable of decreasing. Every time a Progenitor is killed and no other Auctor manages to feed on their blood, there's simply one less Progenitor in the world. Unless someone discovers how to create new Progenitors from scratch, which seems very unlikely, the Auctor are a doomed race, simply counting down the time they have left before extinction.
DM Note: These are vampires as a PC race, largely based on the vampire race 5e gave us in "Plane Shift: Zendikar". I did my best to make them less setting-dependent and a bit more interesting, but at the core, this is the stat sheet you hand to a player that wants to play a vampire from 1st level.
As for powers... They don't really have much. Any humanoid victim drained entirely as blood reanimates as a zombie in perpetuity, but the zombies are stupid, clumsy, and often make it much more difficult to hide in populated areas. On the bright side, they don't have many weaknesses, either. Sunlight is irritating, but not crippling. A stake through the heart or beheading will still kill them, but for the same reason those things can kill any humanoid. They have no exceptional defenses, methods of healing, powers of transformation, nothing. For many Auctor, vampirism can feel more like a crippling food allergy.
They can't even reproduce normally. The only Auctor capable of turning others are the "Progenitor" Auctor, of which very few exist. The only way to become a Progenitor is to kill an existing one and consume their blood.
This puts the Auctor in a very tricky situation. The number of Progenitors can never increase, but it is quite capable of decreasing. Every time a Progenitor is killed and no other Auctor manages to feed on their blood, there's simply one less Progenitor in the world. Unless someone discovers how to create new Progenitors from scratch, which seems very unlikely, the Auctor are a doomed race, simply counting down the time they have left before extinction.
DM Note: These are vampires as a PC race, largely based on the vampire race 5e gave us in "Plane Shift: Zendikar". I did my best to make them less setting-dependent and a bit more interesting, but at the core, this is the stat sheet you hand to a player that wants to play a vampire from 1st level.
Final Note:
Christ, I had a lot more to say than I expected. I'm far from out of ideas, but this post is already long enough. Just be aware that this is probably going to be a series, because vampires are interesting creatures to fuck around with.
I hope you're happy, Zoë.
I hope you're happy, Zoë.
