Although I like vampires, I’ve always been a bit ambivalent about D&D’s take on them. For the Great Dungeon, I wanted something a bit more monstrous, in the vein of Nosferatu or 30 Days of Night. And while I don’t have a problem with the level drain mechanic, I wanted the vampire’s signature ability to be associated with blood-draining.

There were a couple of other important influences on my retooled vampires. In the Glorantha setting of RuneQuest, vampires are ancient, powerful cultists of the Chaos god Vivamort. There is a spooky lost temple to Vivamort in the “Dyskund Caverns” section of Shadows on the Borderland that haunts me to this day. (The caverns originally appeared in the adventure “Black Broo of Dyskund” in White Dwarf 51.)

In Vampire: The Masquerade the Tremere clan of vampires were descended from Hermetic magi of House Tremere, powerful wizards who sought immortality through dubious means. (House Tremere also crosses over into the Ars Magica game.) Robin Laws wrote the fantastic supplement House of Tremere for Vampire: The Dark Ages that vividly describes the fortress of these horrors.

So the vampires of the Great Dungeon have a bestial appearance and wield dark magic in service to their patron, Orcus. Worship of this demon prince originated in the Distant West, which has birthed many decadent religions. The cultists form a powerful faction in the Dungeon led by the master vampire Calar Linth.

The following 3.5e template is Open Game Content:

Orcus Cult Vampire Template

The gaunt figure has soulless eyes that are black as pitch, and large pointed ears. Its mouth curls into a snarl revealing long, jagged yellow teeth.

Sworn to a Demon Prince. The cultists of Orcus venerate vampirism as the most unholy expression of their master’s power. Within the cult even the lowliest vampire holds higher status than the most powerful living cultist, and the living toil to procure victims and otherwise serve their blood-drinking superiors.

A Dark Transformation. Many cultists aspire to be transformed into vampires via a foul ritual dedicated to the Demon Prince of Undeath. Orcus cult vampires differ from common vampires in both abilities and weaknesses.

Centuries of Unceasing Night. Granted immortal life but not immortal youth, these vampires burn with hatred as their bodies are steadily consumed by the slow passage of years. Although Orcus cult vampires are unable to create spawn they nevertheless hunger for the blood of the living.

Creating An Orcus Cult Vampire

“Orcus Cult Vampire” is an acquired template that can be added to any evil humanoid or giant pledged to Orcus and who has 5 or more Hit Dice (referred to hereafter as the base creature). The base creature is slain as part of the ritual and rises again as a vampire through dark magic.

An Orcus cult vampire uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.

Challenge Rating: Same as the base creature + 2.

Alignment: Always chaotic evil.

Type: The creature's type changes to undead (augmented). The creature also gains the chaotic and evil subtypes. Do not recalculate class Hit Dice, base attack bonus, or saves.

Senses: An Orcus cult vampire gains darkvision 120 ft.

Armor Class: Natural armor improves by +8.

Hit Dice: Increase all current and future Hit Dice to d12s.

Defensive Abilities: An Orcus cult vampire gains the following abilities in addition to all of the defensive abilities granted by the undead type.

Turn Resistance (Ex): An Orcus cult vampire has turn resistance +4.

Damage Reduction (Su): An Orcus cult vampire with 6 or less HD has damage reduction 5/cold iron or good. A vampire with 7–9 HD has damage reduction 10/cold iron or good. A vampire with 10–13 HD has damage reduction 10/cold iron and good. A vampire with 14 or more HD has damage reduction 15/cold iron and good.

Death’s Blessing (Su): An Orcus cult vampire with 9 HD or more gains a profane bonus to all saving throws equal to its Charisma bonus (minimum of 1). A vampire with 11 HD or more gains a number of bonus hit points equal to its Charisma bonus (minimum of 1) times its Hit Dice. A vampire with 13 HD or more gains a deflection bonus to armor class equal to its Charisma bonus (minimum of 1). These blessings are cumulative.

Resistances (Ex): An Orcus cult vampire has resistance to acid 10, cold 10, and fire 10.

Fast Healing (Ex): An Orcus cult vampire heals 5 points of damage each round so long as it has at least 1 hit point. If reduced to 0 hit points in combat, an Orcus cult vampire dissolves into shadow, reforming 1 round later in its coffin with 0 hit points. Once at rest, the Orcus cult vampire is helpless. It regains 1 hit point after 1 hour, then is no longer helpless and resumes healing at the rate of 5 hit points per round.

Weakness: An Orcus cult vampires has all the weaknesses of normal vampires.

Speed: An Orcus cult vampire’s land speed increases by +10 feet over that of the base creature. If the base creature has a swim speed, the vampire is not unduly harmed by running water.

Melee: An Orcus cult vampire gains two claw attacks. If the base creature does not have this attack form, use the appropriate damage value from the table below according to the vampire’s size. Creatures that have other kinds of natural weapons retain their old damage values or use the appropriate value from the table below, whichever is better.

Claw Damage
Size	Damage
Fine	1
Diminutive	1d2
Tiny	1d3
Small	1d4
Medium	1d6
Large	1d8
Huge	2d6
Gargantuan	2d8
Colossal	4d6

Special Attacks: An Orcus cult vampire gains several special attacks. Saves have a DC of 10 + 1/2 the vampire’s HD + the vampire’s Cha modifier unless noted otherwise.

Abyssal Strike (Su): An Orcus Cult vampire overcomes damage reduction as if its natural weapons and any weapons it wields were chaotic- and evil-aligned.

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, an Orcus cult vampire must hit an opponent up to one size larger than itself with one or more claw attacks. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can drain blood. An Orcus cult vampire receives a +4 racial bonus on grapple checks.

Blood Drain (Su): An Orcus cult vampire drains blood from a grappled opponent, dealing 1d4 points of Constitution and Wisdom drain each round it maintains the hold. On each such successful attack, the vampire gains 5 temporary hit points. A vampire with 14 or more HD deals 1d6 points of Constitution and Wisdom drain and gains 10 temporary hit points for each successful attack. This ability does not affect elementals, plants, or creatures that lack a Constitution score.

Dominate (Su): An Orcus cult vampire can crush an opponent’s will just by looking onto his or her eyes. This is similar to a gaze attack, except that the vampire must use a standard action, and those merely looking at it are not affected. Anyone the vampire targets must succeed on a Will save or fall instantly under the vampire’s influence as though by a dominate animal or a dominate person spell (whichever applies; caster level 13th or equal to the vampire’s HD, whichever is higher). The ability has a range of 30 feet.

Fear Aura (Su): An a swift action, an Orcus cult vampire can create an aura of fear in a 30-foot radius around it. This effect is otherwise identical to a fear spell (caster level 13th or equal to the vampire’s HD, whichever is higher; Will DC negates). If this save is successful, that creature cannot be affected again by that vampire’s fear aura for 24 hours.

Summon Undead (Su): More powerful Orcus cult vampires can summon undead creatures once per night. The undead arrive in 1d10 rounds and serve for 1 hour or until released. A vampire of 11–12 HD can summon 1d3+1 shadows. A vampire of 13 or more HD can summon 1d4+4 shadows or 1 greater shadow. This ability is the equivalent of a 7th-level spell (CL 13th or equal to the vampire’s HD, whichever is higher).

Special Qualities: An Orcus cult vampire retains all the special qualities of the base creature and gains those described here.

Shadow Blend (Su): In any condition of illumination other than full daylight, an Orcus cult vampire can disappear into the shadows, giving it total concealment. Artificial illumination, even a light or continual flame spell, does not negate this ability. A daylight spell, however, will.

Shadow Jump (Su): As a move action, an Orcus cult vampire can travel between shadows as if by means of a dimension door spell. The limitation is that the magical transport must begin and end in an area with at least some shadow. An Orcus cult vampire can jump up to a total of 200 feet each day in this way; this may be a single jump of 200 feet or two jumps of 100 feet each. This amount can be split among many jumps, but each one, no matter how small, counts as a 10-foot increment.

Telepathy (Su): An Orcus cult vampire can communicate telepathically with any creature within 60 feet that speaks the same languages. In addition, an Orcus cult vampire can communicate with any animal, magical beast, or vermin.

Abilities Increase from the base creature as follows: Str +2, Dex +4, Int +2, Wis +6, Cha +4. As an undead creature, an Orcus cult vampire has no Constitution score.

Feats An Orcus cult vampire gains Alertness, Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, and Skill Focus for two separate skills.

Skills An Orcus cult vampire has a +8 racial bonus on Hide, Listen, Move Silently, Search, Sense Motive, and Spot checks.

Vampire Weaknesses

Vampires cannot tolerate the strong odor of garlic and will not enter an area laced with it. Similarly, they recoil from mirrors or strongly presented holy symbols. These things don't harm the vampire—they merely keep it at bay. A recoiling vampire must stay at least 5 feet away from the mirror or holy symbol and cannot touch or make melee attacks against that creature. Holding a vampire at bay takes a standard action. After 1 round, a vampire can overcome its revulsion of the object and function normally each round it makes a DC 25 Will save.

Vampires cannot enter a private home or dwelling unless invited in by someone with the authority to do so.

Reducing a vampire's hit points to 0 or lower incapacitates it but doesn't always destroy it (see fast healing). However, certain attacks can slay vampires. Exposing any vampire to direct sunlight staggers it on the first round of exposure and destroys it utterly on the second consecutive round of exposure if it does not escape. Each round of immersion in running water inflicts damage on a vampire equal to one-third of its maximum hit points—a vampire reduced to 0 hit points in this manner is destroyed. Driving a wooden stake through a helpless vampire's heart instantly slays it (this is a full-round action). However, it returns to life if the stake is removed, unless the head is also severed and anointed with holy water.

Sample Orcus Cult Vampire

An initiate is a newly created vampire, a cultist rewarded for particularly adept service to the Demon Prince of the Undead. The initiate had the following ability scores before racial modifiers and Hit Dice ability score increases: Str 13, Dex 12, Con 10, Int 9, Wis 11, Cha 8.

Vampire Initiate CR 6

Orcus cult vampire human warrior 5

CE Medium undead (augmented humanoid, chaotic, evil)

Init +7; Senses darkvision 120 ft.; Listen +13, Spot +13

Languages Abyssal, Common; telepathy

Defense

AC 26, touch 14, flat-footed 23
(+3 armor, +1 deflection, +3 Dex, +9 natural)

hp 35 (5 HD); fast healing 5

Fort +4, Ref +6, Will +6

DR 5/cold iron or good; Immune undead traits; Resist acid 10, cold 10, fire 10; turn resistance +4

Weakness vampire weaknesses

Offense

Spd 40 ft.; shadow jump

Melee +1 longsword +9 (1d8+4/19–20), claw +3 (1d6+1) or
2 claws +8 (1d6+3)

Special Attacks abyssal strike, blood drain (1d4 Con and 1d4 Wis), dominate (DC 13), fear aura (30 ft., DC 13), improved grab

Statistics

Str 16, Dex 16, Con –, Int 11, Wis 17, Cha 12

Base Atk +5; Grp +8

Feats Alertness, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Skill Focus (Intimidate, Search), Stealthy, Toughness

Skills Hide +13, Jump +13, Intimidate +12, Listen +13, Move Silently +13, Search +11, Sense Motive +11, Speak Language (Abyssal), Spot +13

SQ shadow blend

Gear +1 longsword, amulet of natural armor +1, ring of protection +1, masterwork studded leather armor

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The Great Dungeon of the North

Wednesday, October 31, 2018