PC Ranger that hates undead, and vampiric temple of Evening Glory

[MonkeySage]

I had an idea for a story line where my players run into a Temple of Evening Glory, run by non-hostile vampiric clergy.

I thought that this would be especially interesting since the ranger in the group took "Undead" as his favored enemy, and his backstory involves his hometown being attacked by vampires. He carries a special hatred for vampires for what they've done to his people.

In my setting, Evening Glory is not very well known at all. Most people aren't even aware of her or her followers. This is in part because her followers don't really want the attention.

I'm thinking that those who receive Evening Glory's blessing tend to prefer peace; they aren't ruled by their usual evil instincts.

I'm wondering if you guys have any ideas for how i might run this scenario.

(For reference, the ranger is fairly intelligent and wise, though his player is a newbie.)

[Ionbound]

What levels are the Clergy, and what level is the party? Because what you could do is just toss the party in there, and if the ranger attacks the obvious non-hostiles, have them turn him, then offer to res him to the rest of the party once he's lived a few days with the metaphorical shoe on the other foot.

[Brookshw]

Nice rp conflict, please let us know how it turns out.

How to run it,.....keep the vampire bit secret but drop minor hints? No mirrors in the place, significant rooms without windows. Have the vamps help the party before they figure out what's going on. Could lead to some interesting tension.

[Xaktsaroth]

Have a living member of the temple come into a fight your party is having, or have them come across her fighting so they could join in.

After the fight, have her offer to take them to the temple for healing/food as thanks/your party looks run down.

I like the subtle hints idea. Would be funny if she was in the kitchen with the party when she was getting food:

She: *tastes stew*
She: "I think it needs some garlic."
Cook: "Ha ha, I never get tired of THAT one."

Sounds like a bunch of fun. :D

[Cikomyr]

By the way, may I know where the classic "Preferred Enemy" of Rangers comes from?

[Silverbit]

By the way, may I know where the classic "Preferred Enemy" of Rangers comes from?

As a fluff thing, it seems to come from Aragorn being really good at tracking orcs in Lotr. As a game mechanic, I think rangers first got bonuses versus specific foes (in this case only giants and humanoids) in AD&D first edition, but I'm not sure.

[drack]

Hmm. I like the fluff. Blood abstinence?

[Honest Tiefling]

Hmm. I like the fluff. Blood abstinence?

I think figuring out at least the basic logistics of this will greatly factor in. They could have a ritual to stop the need for blood, but maybe not the desire. It could also severely weaken them. Or, they have to find ways of getting 'donors'. Either they use their social skills to convince others, or those who oppose love get the nibble.

[Flickerdart]

What levels are the Clergy, and what level is the party? Because what you could do is just toss the party in there, and if the ranger attacks the obvious non-hostiles, have them turn him, then offer to res him to the rest of the party once he's lived a few days with the metaphorical shoe on the other foot.
Like any other undead, a vampire is not the creature it was in life, but a new malevolent consciousness using the corpse as a meat puppet. If it is slain and resurrected, the original would remember nothing of the experience, as his soul was elsewhere at the time.

[drack]

Often ring of subsistence is used. I remember playing an LN vampire monk once who was specialized in grappling which is suited to blood sucking, but who had been trying fr hundreds of years not to drain people anymore. he had a fine fighting style and such, but I've also GMed where they players came into a few vampires. I will tell you, the awesomeness of dirt floors through which you move with gaseous form only to solidify flanking people with melee weapons... They'd probably also use children of the night to assume a less "do this for me", and instead form a strong bond and peace between themselves and the "children of the night", so it might be fun to have a few such animals about from rats and bats to wolves. Perhaps the holy water is more heavily secured, and maybe some cursed water for when misguided celestials occasionally come for them. Perhaps one of the peasants they're giving a bed to is evil, and the players might be inclined to blame the monks for the peasant's actions since they track it back to the temple?

Anywho just tossing about ideas.

[Honest Tiefling]

Since Evening Glory's big deal is love, maybe how her following get around evil impulses is they take out the malevolent spirit and put the original person back in. They could even be a different strain of vampire opposed to the other guys.

Of course, the process might leave the people in an undead husk after a (presumably) brutal murder, but hey, progress!

[drack]

Actually I think vampire is one of those select types of undeads who's memories carry through. They do gain evil impulses, but fighting them down should be doable.

[Brookshw]

Actually I think vampire is one of those select types of undeads who's memories carry through. They do gain evil impulses, but fighting them down should be doable.

I'm inclined to agree they'd remember, they certainly remember pre-vamping. Not a problem of course if someone refluffed it otherwise, but I can't recall any specific rules.

[Ionbound]

And, in any event, it defeats the purpose of Evening Glory if an sentient undead is a different soul. Therefore, when discussing sentient undead in the context of Evening Glory, we can assume they follow the Libris Mortis model rather than the Complete Divine/Buffyverse/OotSverse model.

[drack]

It would somewhat defeat the purpose, though if two beings were born as fully developed (adult) human skeletons, and they fell in love it would still be a love that surpasses death even if not quite in the same way... In any case I tend to think of the intelligent undead templates as same soul, and non-intelligent and non-template undeads as new souls (so to speak)

[Honest Tiefling]

Skeletons are mindless, so that's kinda a crappy romance(Still a better love story then twilight). Must suck to be the god of that!

Through maybe the PCs track down this evil cult giving a powerful undead a new body. Turns out, they are, so the original dude can be reunited as a ghost with their lover, and the undead can be with their lover and everybody wins.

It gives them a powerful ability that would definitely draw the attention of more malevolent creatures seeking to hone the abilities for warfare and evil, and why they went into hiding.

[drack]

well they'd have to be awakened first...

Nah, the undead is in a sense a reused soul changed into a new being. The origonal person can't be raised and the like with the undead version about.

Still with vampires, ghosts, like, necropolitans, wights (the template), or phantoms they'd still remember their undying love even after the conversion, so it could be the classes loves that could not be, but that refused to die type thing. :smallconfused: Or more "free love" style where they all have room in their unbeating hearts for many and gather together into their own community.

[Honest Tiefling]

I though Evening Glory was associated with vampires, but I have since lost that book. But I am pretty sure she's more of the romantic love, and I am not sure a commune of poly vampires in the middle of nowhere can be taken seriously, through the ranger would then have to deal with upwards of five weeping lovers of the person they just slew.

[drack]

Yup, that's why I've tossed out many ideas and not just one. :smallsmile:

[Zanos]

Like any other undead, a vampire is not the creature it was in life, but a new malevolent consciousness using the corpse as a meat puppet. If it is slain and resurrected, the original would remember nothing of the experience, as his soul was elsewhere at the time.
I was under the impression that the majority of sentient undead(ghosts, liches, vampires) were not new creatures. The soul is still present in the undead in any case, because having an undead made out of you prevents your soul from returning for ressurection.

I can say that this is defintely not the case for liches, because Baelnorns and Archliches exist.

[drack]

No, no, it's only things like skeletons, zombies, ghouls, wraiths, ect where there is a "new soul", for some of them you have to cast awaken undead on them first. the soul is however bound and deranged by the magic that animates them, so it's not really accurate to say a new soul so much as a new consciousness. Liches, vampires, ect retain their memories and consciousness, their souls are just warped to make them do more evil. Deathless is akin to resurrection in many ways and the soul is not harmed.