[3.5e] Vampire Lore and Becoming A Vampire

[Demonic Spoon]

I was reading the MM and I was curious about how vampires worked. From looking at the rules, it looks as if the only way to become a vampire is to start as one...There aren't any mechanisms for an already-living creature becoming a vampire. Living creatures can only become vampire spawns.

However, the description of vampires says, "Vampires appear just as they did in life..." implying that they did actually -become- full vampires from some other source.


So...in 3.5, how does one become an actual vampire rather than a spawn? Is this just a weird omission?

[Boci]

If your blood is drained you become a vampire. You're only a spawn if you die from energy drain.

[Calmar]

It depends on the victim's HD* whether she becomes a vampire, or a spawn.


If the vampire instead drains the victim’s Constitution to 0 or lower, the victim returns as a spawn if it had 4 or less HD and as a vampire if it had 5 or more HD. Source (http://www.systemreferencedocuments.org/resources/systems/pennpaper/dnd35/soveliorsage/monstersTtoZ.html#vampire).

*Or the DM...

[Mayhem]

It depends on the victim's HD* whether she becomes a vampire, or a spawn.

Source (http://www.systemreferencedocuments.org/resources/systems/pennpaper/dnd35/soveliorsage/monstersTtoZ.html#vampire).

*Or the DM...
This ^. There is another way however, there's also an epic spell seed here (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/seeds/animateDead.htm) that allows the caster to create vampires.

[hivedragon]

Erandis Vol made the king of karrnath into a vampire and I don't think she's epic.

[under_score]

Erandis Vol made the king of karrnath into a vampire and I don't think she's epic.

In my game, one of her vampire minions did this for her.

Otherwise, she did it through the sheer power of PLOT.

[hivedragon]

In my game, one of her vampire minions did this for her.

And where did she get the vampire that turned him?

[Boci]

And where did she get the vampire that turned him?

That's the chicken and the egg. I believe dying in certain strong concentrations of energy can spawn undead.

Or the first vampires can be traced back to a casting of that epic spell and they spread from there.

[under_score]

And where did she get the vampire that turned him?

She got the vampire from being the greatest source of necromancy in the world (barring dragons and a handful of the worst of the fiends). Nasty undead flock to her to do her bidding just as powerful demons flock to the Rakshasa Rajahs to do their bidding. BBEGs get allies.

[Demonic Spoon]

Thanks folks. As usual, it's just me sucking at reading.