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View Full Version : Capturing Vampires: Can you do it?



Fraggranark
2009-07-21, 01:07 PM
Okay, basically the Eberron campaign I'm playing in, we need to capture a vampire -Alive!- and return to Sharn. The module is called "Whisper of the Vampire's Blade" I think. If anyone has played don't spoil it.

The bastard got away from us when we were chasing his carriage by using his gasious form ability. The party is made up of (all fourth level) my human wilder, a warforge psychic warrior, a human Children of Winter Druid and a human ninja.

My current plan is to buy a dorje with Entangling Ectoplasm, but the going gas once a day circumvents that, I'm fairly sure. If theres a way to trap someone who's in gas form, please tell me. Generally, just asking for any help I might find.

Krrth
2009-07-21, 01:12 PM
Okay, basically the Eberron campaign I'm playing in, we need to capture a vampire -Alive!- and return to Sharn. The module is called "Whisper of the Vampire's Blade" I think. If anyone has played don't spoil it.

The bastard got away from us when we were chasing his carriage by using his gasious form ability. The party is made up of (all fourth level) my human wilder, a warforge psychic warrior, a human Children of Winter Druid and a human ninja.

My current plan is to buy a dorje with Entangling Ectoplasm, but the going gas once a day circumvents that, I'm fairly sure. If theres a way to trap someone who's in gas form, please tell me. Generally, just asking for any help I might find.
Unless it's changed, the easiest way is to shove a stake through the heart. At one point in time that simply paralyzed them.

If he's in gaseous form, I believe a simply windwall would stop that.

Or, drive it up against running water.

Sstoopidtallkid
2009-07-21, 01:16 PM
Vampires are easy to catch. Knock him down to 0. When he Gaseous's away, follow him until he reaches his coffin. Then drop the coffin in a Bag of Holding/Portable Hole and close it. You know have a PO'd vampire in a box, but he can't do anything. Enjoy.

jmbrown
2009-07-21, 01:23 PM
The best way to capture a vampire without using ridiculous magic is to seal their coffin. I'd use chains and some kind of putty to ensure he can't gaseous form out the sides.

Even then, gaseous form doesn't make you invincible. A gaseous formed monster can still be hit by magical weapons and they only move at like 20' per round. Don't quote me on this because I don't have the book on hand but gaseous form is really, really slow.

Fraggranark
2009-07-21, 01:23 PM
I've not really (or at all) encountered vampires. Other than holding them on level with elf as arrogant, annoying gits, I don't know much about them. They wouldn't suffocate in the bag/hole, since they're undead right? And, he couldn't try and climb out, because we'd need to open the hole out. Is that what you mean? I just want to work out the mechanics, or future reference.

Anxe
2009-07-21, 01:34 PM
Chaining up the coffin would work. Chaining him outside of his coffin would also work. A third option would be to give garlic to everyone in your party and surround him. He's repeled by the garlic in every direction, so he can't move. Then you slowly move the circle of garlic towards where you need to take the vampire. The problem with that third method is that vampires can change into bats. It could fly straight up that way.

I'd go with following him and chaining his coffin closed.

There is a method for capturing things in gaseous form, Iron Flask, but its expensive, and the vampire would die in it. If its in gaseous form, then it's wounded and needs to get to its coffin before it dies. If it's in the flask, it's not in its coffin, so it dies.

The final option is to not capture it, but bribe it. It might come willingly with you if you gave it enough money. Or you could promise that it would be able to suck the blood of a lot of people (Those people would be evil dudes that you knocked unconscious).

Fraggranark
2009-07-21, 01:46 PM
Good ideas, but bribing wouldn't work since he betrayed our employers, Breland's best intel organisation and they don't strike me as forgiving. Besides, we already had run from one vampire in the first module, and this one won't be getting away from me without a few wild surged mind thrusts or energy rays to keep him down. The best ideas I've seen here are the coffin in the bag of holding/hole, chained coffin and garlic. a combination would be to be surround his coffin with both chains and garlic and to line the outside/openings of the coffin with garlic/garlic juice to preveny him fleeing via gas. Even better, all that, plus soaking the bag of holding in garlic juice, filling it with garlic and covering the opening - with garlic!

IDEA! What would happen, if say, a vamp got hit by a shattering container of garlic juice?

Anxe
2009-07-21, 01:49 PM
If you have access to someone with Know(religion) you should ask them if staking a vampire kills it or just makes it be dead until you take the stake out. That method often changes from DM to DM.


IDEA! What would happen, if say, a vamp got hit by a shattering container of garlic juice?

I'd rule that it acted like x3 holy water, but I don't know. It'd hurt it for sure.

jmbrown
2009-07-21, 01:55 PM
a combination would be to be surround his coffin with both chains and garlic and to line the outside/openings of the coffin with garlic/garlic juice to preveny him fleeing via gas

This is how they capture vampires in most books, actually (or at least the books based on the classic Braham Stoker vampires which most contemporary vampires are). Garlic juice won't work. It has to be a whole clove. Just chain the coffin and wreath it in garlic. He can't escape that way.

I say this because I personally find bags of holding and portable holes to be really cheesy items.


If you have access to someone with Know(religion) you should ask them if staking a vampire kills it or just makes it be dead until you take the stake out. That method often changes from DM to DM.

I can't recall if it was added to 3E but in 2E I remember it says that the only way to kill a vampire is through sunlight (which burns it up) or by cutting off its head, shoving garlic into its mouth, and burning the body. As a DM, I rule that method is the only way to kill a vampire. Shoving a stake in its heart simply paralyzes it until the stake is removed.

Fraggranark
2009-07-21, 02:02 PM
Thanks for all this help, it should be good. The bloody thing cost me my mage-bred horse, the ninja's too (though he succeded on all his balance, jump and tumble checks to make it to the druids horse mid-chase) and caused the psychotic warforge, who was behind because he fell off his horse, to use my wilder as a human missile. Vamps are vunerable to fire aren't they?

Krrth
2009-07-21, 02:05 PM
Thanks for all this help, it should be good. The bloody thing cost me my mage-bred horse, the ninja's too (though he succeded on all his balance, jump and tumble checks to make it to the druids horse mid-chase) and caused the psychotic warforge, who was behind because he fell off his horse, to use my wilder as a human missile. Vamps are vunerable to fire aren't they?

No more than normal.

The problem with most of the advice I see here is it assumes you have access to (all)the coffin(s). That's not always the case.

jmbrown
2009-07-21, 02:08 PM
No more than normal.

The problem with most of the advice I see here is it assumes you have access to (all)the coffin(s). That's not always the case.

Frankly there's no other way to physically capture a vampire aside from tying it and perpetually slapping him so he can't concentrate on gaseous form. The vampire itself was designed around the idea that the only way to physically aprehend it is by finding its coffin.

Krrth
2009-07-21, 02:10 PM
Frankly there's no other way to physically capture a vampire aside from tying it and perpetually slapping him so he can't concentrate on gaseous form. The vampire itself was designed around the idea that the only way to physically aprehend it is by finding its coffin.

Sure there is, you just have to be creative. As I recall, they can't cross running water except in their coffin or a bridge. Lure them onto an island and destroy the bridge.

Get an evil cleric to Rebuke it.

Shove a stake in it's heart when it's not paying attention.

satorian
2009-07-21, 02:18 PM
If you were higher level, Otiluke's resilient sphere would work. But you're not, so the garlic covered chained up coffin is the best thing to do. Or put a beehive on his head so he can't concentrate on turning gaseous.

Fraggranark
2009-07-21, 02:20 PM
Well, in the end if we can't catch him, we just need something to prove we killed him. However, I'm rather greedy at moment so I want the full reward. The beehive sounds fun.

quick_comment
2009-07-21, 02:21 PM
Have your party herd him by presenting holy symbols.

Fraggranark
2009-07-21, 02:39 PM
Do we need to actually be faithful to the symbols? Because my character worships the Fury, the warforge and ninja nothing and the last is a Child of the Winter.

jmbrown
2009-07-21, 02:47 PM
Do we need to actually be faithful to the symbols? Because my character worships the Fury, the warforge and ninja nothing and the last is a Child of the Winter.

I don't know how serious your game is but the "by-the-numbers" approach is that holy symbols are worth only the metal (or wood) they're carved out of. Only a divine character can channel holy energy into a holy symbol.

Even then, rebuking undead doesn't "herd" them it causes them to run away as fast as their legs can carry them. As per the rules, if the turner approaches too close then the turning is instantly broken. You could try to control it but controlling undead only lasts so long. Plus you have to deal with the time restrictions and daily restrictions of turning it's just not worth it.

Unless you guys are playing a light hearted campaign or something, the only true, serious way to capture a live vampire is to seal its coffin and wrap it with garlic.


Sure there is, you just have to be creative. As I recall, they can't cross running water except in their coffin or a bridge. Lure them onto an island and destroy the bridge.

Transform into bat. Fly away. Vampires are cheaters.

Indon
2009-07-21, 02:50 PM
There is a method for capturing things in gaseous form, Iron Flask, but its expensive, and the vampire would die in it. If its in gaseous form, then it's wounded and needs to get to its coffin before it dies. If it's in the flask, it's not in its coffin, so it dies.

Find the coffin and put the flask in it?

Now you don't have to worry about the Vampire trying to strength-check out.

Jack Zander
2009-07-21, 02:52 PM
I don't know how serious your game is but the "by-the-numbers" approach is that holy symbols are worth only the metal (or wood) they're carved out of. Only a divine character can channel holy energy into a holy symbol.

Even then, rebuking undead doesn't "herd" them it causes them to run away as fast as their legs can carry them. As per the rules, if the turner approaches too close then the turning is instantly broken. You could try to control it but controlling undead only lasts so long. Plus you have to deal with the time restrictions and daily restrictions of turning it's just not worth it.

Unless you guys are playing a light hearted campaign or something, the only true, serious way to capture a live vampire is to seal its coffin and wrap it with garlic.



Transform into bat. Fly away. Vampires are cheaters.

Please don't post with wrong answers.

Any character can use a standard action and a holy symbol (any holy symbol) to keep a vampire 5 feet away from them. Herding sounds difficult this way, but I suppose it could be done. The problem is getting the vampire to move at all. After all, he could just stand still while you waste actions, or gaseous form and fly straight up.

Sstoopidtallkid
2009-07-21, 02:52 PM
Do we need to actually be faithful to the symbols? Because my character worships the Fury, the warforge and ninja nothing and the last is a Child of the Winter.Nope. Vampires are unique among undead in that they recoil from a 'strongly presented' Holy Symbol, and must stay at least 5' back from it. It won't allow you to herd it, most likely, due to the fact that the Vamp can fly, but can at least provide some protection.

Anxe
2009-07-21, 02:53 PM
Find the coffin and put the flask in it?

Now you don't have to worry about the Vampire trying to strength-check out.

Okay. I suppose that'd work. Now we run into the problem of an Iron Flask costing 170,000 GP.

Indon
2009-07-21, 02:56 PM
Okay. I suppose that'd work. Now we run into the problem of an Iron Flask costing 170,000 GP.

That's a lot of iron. :P

Fraggranark
2009-07-21, 02:58 PM
Well, since we spent most of our well earned godl from the last module, I think thats out of the question. To capture it we'll need to get it to use its once-a-day powers first, since only the druid needs sleep to replenish his spells if I don't use up my power points.

jmbrown
2009-07-21, 03:04 PM
Please don't post with wrong answers.

Any character can use a standard action and a holy symbol (any holy symbol) to keep a vampire 5 feet away from them. Herding sounds difficult this way, but I suppose it could be done. The problem is getting the vampire to move at all. After all, he could just stand still while you waste actions, or gaseous form and fly straight up.

Point made.

However, while you're standing there like an idiot, the vampire can just dominate you or summon a swarm of bats to distract you.

There aren't many realistic (or cheap) options to capture a vampire except when it's in its coffin.

edit:
Driving a wooden stake through a vampire’s heart instantly slays the monster. However, it returns to life if the stake is removed, unless the body is destroyed.

Grapple. Pin. Stake. Ka-ching.

BigPapaSmurf
2009-07-21, 03:05 PM
Just open the passenger door and put some candy on the seat, if that don't work there's always rufies.

Jack Zander
2009-07-21, 03:05 PM
Yeah, like I said, I don't think that option would work very well at all.

mcl01
2009-07-21, 03:07 PM
Surround him with silent images of holy symbols in every direction. He's repelled, so he can't interact with them for a will (disbelief) save.

Stake him in the heart. Preferably with an invisible rogue so not to draw attention away from the symbols.

Profit.

BigPapaSmurf
2009-07-21, 03:11 PM
I think out of the coffin the best way to do it would be to lure it into a trap which is airtight, like a mudpit which then gets a mud to rock spell or something. I wouldnt put all my marbles on chaining a coffin without sealing it thuroghly.

Fraggranark
2009-07-21, 03:26 PM
I need to consider price. If the payment for getting him alive is not more than the price of the stuff needed to actually capture him, whats the point? Now that I think about it, I think we got a letter of credit from our employer to use in emergencies, so I think that might cover it.

daggaz
2009-07-21, 03:27 PM
Lure him into a narrow tunnel with a coffin at the end. Present holy symbols and force him to the end. If the tunnel is five feet wide and ten feet high, then one character can safely keep him at bay while the others pepper him with enough arrows until he finally seeks refuge in the coffin. Seal it and you are done.

The only hard part of this plan is actually luring it into the tunnel, as vampires are notoriously intelligent and usually make ample use of vermin spies.

HamsterOfTheGod
2009-07-21, 03:49 PM
The easiest way to capture a vampire is with love.

jmbrown
2009-07-21, 03:52 PM
Lure him into a narrow tunnel with a coffin at the end. Present holy symbols and force him to the end. If the tunnel is five feet wide and ten feet high, then one character can safely keep him at bay while the others pepper him with enough arrows until he finally seeks refuge in the coffin. Seal it and you are done.

The only hard part of this plan is actually luring it into the tunnel, as vampires are notoriously intelligent and usually make ample use of vermin spies.

It'll have to be his coffin, not any coffin.

Good thing about vampires is that their area of influence is relatively small unless they have minions to move their coffin around for them (as is usually the case).

Krrth
2009-07-21, 04:16 PM
I don't know how serious your game is but the "by-the-numbers" approach is that holy symbols are worth only the metal (or wood) they're carved out of. Only a divine character can channel holy energy into a holy symbol.

Even then, rebuking undead doesn't "herd" them it causes them to run away as fast as their legs can carry them. As per the rules, if the turner approaches too close then the turning is instantly broken. You could try to control it but controlling undead only lasts so long. Plus you have to deal with the time restrictions and daily restrictions of turning it's just not worth it.

Unless you guys are playing a light hearted campaign or something, the only true, serious way to capture a live vampire is to seal its coffin and wrap it with garlic.



Transform into bat. Fly away. Vampires are cheaters.


Actually, they can't cross while flying either.

From the SRD

Repelling a Vampire

Vampires cannot tolerate the strong odor of garlic and will not enter an area laced with it. Similarly, they recoil from a mirror or a strongly presented holy symbol. These things don’t harm the vampire—they merely keep it at bay. A recoiling vampire must stay at least 5 feet away from a creature holding the mirror or holy symbol and cannot touch or make melee attacks against the creature holding the item for the rest of the encounter. Holding a vampire at bay takes a standard action.

Vampires are also unable to cross running water, although they can be carried over it while resting in their coffins or aboard a ship.

They are utterly unable to enter a home or other building unless invited in by someone with the authority to do so. They may freely enter public places, since these are by definition open to all.

Bolded for emphasis.

jmbrown
2009-07-21, 04:51 PM
Actually, they can't cross while flying either.

From the SRD


Bolded for emphasis.

That makes no sense and assumes a vampire flying 500' above the ground instantly halts as soon is it hovers over a minuscule body of water somewhere in its path below.

I always interpreted it as meaning a vampire can't ever swim or wade through water regardless of how steep it is. An ankle high river? No. Flying? What the heck is stopping him?

Krrth
2009-07-21, 04:55 PM
That makes no sense and assumes a vampire flying 500' above the ground instantly halts as soon is it hovers over a minuscule body of water somewhere in its path below.

Nope, it's got to be running water. That's why moats aren't usually a problem.

It realistically needs to be something large enough that you can't step across in one stride.


edit: What's stopping them? The same thing that makes them recoil from mirrors and garlic I suppose.

jmbrown
2009-07-21, 04:58 PM
Nope, it's got to be running water. That's why moats aren't usually a problem.

It realistically needs to be something large enough that you can't step across in one stride.

What I mean is that it doesn't make sense that an invisible barrier blocks off all rivers regardless of height. There are underground rivers. Would those block his movement or does "crossing a body of water" count only for what the vampire could see? In that case he could just fly out of sight of the river and cross it.

I know I'm making a mountain out of a mole hill but vampires in general are complex monsters in terms of powers/weaknesses and I'm sure this has been debated to death at one point or another.

TheThan
2009-07-21, 05:00 PM
Either you need to defeat it in battle with another captured monster and then suck it up into a little white and read ball. Or you need specialized vampirebusting equipment (just don’t cross the streams).

Krrth
2009-07-21, 05:04 PM
What I mean is that it doesn't make sense that an invisible barrier blocks off all rivers regardless of height. There are underground rivers. Would those block his movement or does "crossing a body of water" count only for what the vampire could see? In that case he could just fly out of sight of the river and cross it.

I know I'm making a mountain out of a mole hill but vampires in general are complex monsters in terms of powers/weaknesses and I'm sure this has been debated to death at one point or another.


Couldn't actually tell you the original history of that specific weakness other than the old belief that evil could not cross running water. It's supposed to be a mystic prohibition, just like not being able to enter a private building without permission. Or the whole thing with the mustard seeds.

I'd assume underground rivers would only count in the vampire was underground. If there is earth forming a bridge over it, he's crossing the bridge, not the river.


edit: Here's a link (http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080604140504AAkI8eU) to a possible explanation.

Bugbeartrap
2009-07-21, 05:24 PM
Seriously, I don't know how so many people are confused about this since there is only one place you need to look to find the answer, the MM1, bottom of page 253, left hand column.

1. Get stakes
2. Beat up Vamp till HP = 0
3. Follow his gaseous form to his coffin
4. Stake helpless regenerating undead
5. Undead is in stasis till you remove the stake
6. Take him back to Breland (just make sure the stake doesn't get removed!)
7. Profit!

quick_comment
2009-07-21, 05:29 PM
You can also try bluffing it.

Try telling it that you all work for a cult of some undead god, and you are willing to help him sneak into the Lord's castle (he cant get in unless invited).

shadow_archmagi
2009-07-21, 05:39 PM
I like the plan where someone stands by, constantly slapping him to prevent him from being able to go gas and escape his bounds. But only if they use a fish to do so.

Krrth
2009-07-21, 05:41 PM
I like the plan where someone stands by, constantly slapping him to prevent him from being able to go gas and escape his bounds. But only if they use a fish to do so.

It would have to be at least a +1 fish covered in silver to count.:smallamused:

PLUN
2009-07-21, 05:43 PM
Remember to hit the books in character as well. Some GMs like to shake things up, and with a varied and popular creature such as a vampire different interpretations are common. The wise monster hunter knows that when you assume you make an ass out of u and your ruptured large intestine.

Fraggranark
2009-07-22, 07:59 AM
I'm certain the druid has knowledge (Religions). After that all I've got is knowledge (psionics) which won't be much help until the campaigns involving the quori the DM promiseed at later levels. But we will make an effort in-game of course.

Project_Mayhem
2009-07-22, 08:20 AM
The easiest way to capture a vampire is with love.

that only works on the sparkly ones.

I'm going to spoiler, as I have the module, but this really should be fine

Unless much has been changed, carry on as your doing. You want to keep hounding him until you can catch him near his sarcophagus/coffin/whatever.

I'm pretty sure RAW has staked vamps rendered immobile.