Vampire

[dantiesilva]

This is going to sound really stupid but lets just say you are starting a level 5 gestalt game and have 3,000xp buyoff ( thus 3 levels) What level would a vampire start at saying its la is 8? Would I be able to use it or no?

[Urpriest]

You can't use it, you can't buy off LA 8 until you have 24 hit dice.

[hushblade]

Different DMs run gestalt differently. Its not all 100% defined. Ask your DM if he splits LA between sides of the gestalt(clearly playable for you) Makes it take one side of the gestalt(possibly playable at level 5 if he just handwaves it and just doesn't allow class levels on the vampire side until level 9) or makes it take up both sides(probably unambiguously unplayable for you)

[dantiesilva]

@urpriest What you just said you do understand makes no sense. 24HD is 9 out of ten time level 24. And If you don't have the monster manual it shows a level 5 as in 5HD creature being a vampire so please explain your logic because i see none. A vampire is a la +8 template. Thus you would have to have some way of being levle 8 to play it. The 3,000xp buy of gives +3 levels to the 5 you start of with. I don't know where you are getting your information, but obviously not from the source.

[Urpriest]

@urpriest What you just said you do understand makes no sense. 24HD is 9 out of ten time level 24. And If you don't have the monster manual it shows a level 5 as in 5HD creature being a vampire so please explain your logic because i see none. A vampire is a la +8 template. Thus you would have to have some way of being levle 8 to play it. The 3,000xp buy of gives +3 levels to the 5 you start of with. I don't know where you are getting your information, but obviously not from the source.

You don't know what LA buyoff is apparently, which makes me a little curious why you're signing up for a game that's using it as a rule. Here's a link. (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/reducingLevelAdjustments.htm)

LA buyoff is a rule that lets you buy off points of level adjustment with experience points. However, there is a minimum level to take advantage of this. You must have additional levels (after racial hit dice and level adjustment) equal to at least three times your initial level adjustment. So a Vampire can only start buying off its level adjustment once it has 24 class levels, so at ECL 32.

That 5HD vampire in the Monster Manual is listed as having Level Adjustment +5, but this is a typo (remember, LA buyoff didn't even exist when the Monster Manual was printed). The template (which you are using, since you aren't playing the sample character) has LA +8, meaning that a vampire with 5HD is ECL 13.

You should read my guide to monsters, link in sig.

[Doxkid]

This is going to sound really stupid but lets just say you are starting a level 5 gestalt game and have 3,000xp buyoff ( thus 3 levels) What level would a vampire start at saying its la is 8? Would I be able to use it or no?

Assuming you have the template at level 1, that is actually only a 2s worth or templates. It is worth even fewer levels later on.

It takes 1000 exp to reach level 2, when you are level 1.
It takes 2000 exp to reach level 3, when you are level 2.
You are now out of free exp.

Are you sure your DM didnt say "you have a 3 level buy-off" instead? That is how this is typically done.
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I would suggest either half-Vampire, or taking levels in the vampire Spawn monster class found in Libris Mortis.

Half vampires are still living creatures and get:
Charming gaze (charm monster)
*Fast Healing-1
*+2 natural Armor
*DR 5/silver
*Blood Drain
*A Slam attack
*Cold/Electric resistance 5
*+2Dex/Str/Cha
*+2Bluff/hide/move silently/listen/spot
*Improved Initiative.

Vampire Spawn get:
*Dominating gaze (Dominate person) at level 8
*Fast Healing-1 at level 5 and Fast Healing-2 at level 8
*DR5/silver at level 8
*Alertness and Lightning Reflexes by level 5 and Improved Initiative at level 8
*+2 natural armor at level 5 which becomes +3 natural armor at level 8
*+2 Str/Dex/Cha/Wis at level 5 which improves to +4 Cha/Str at level 8
*Energy Drain at level 8
*Gaseous Form at level 7
*Spider Clib by level 5
*+2 Turn resistance by level 5
*Resistance 10 to cold and electricity at level 6
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If neither of those are appealing, you could also build a vampire from scratch using spells and items.