tanky vampire

[Ettina]

OK, we're doing an undead campaign. We're aiming for characters around level 3-4 or equivalent, and we're missing a tank. (So far we have two incorporeal undead and a squishy ranged corporeal guy.) I was thinking of playing a vampire, just because I think they're cool.

So...

What would be an interesting tanky class that a vampire can be?

Also, this character is going to come from a rich family and have some pretty neat gear to start with. Nothing overpowered, but useful stuff, the kind of thing a rich master vampire would kit his spawn out with. I'm thinking some sort of protection from sunlight, but what else?

[paperarmor]

ok we need more info, such as allowed books, relavent houserules, stats oh and party composition.
also what edition PF or 3.5? that said vampires have an la of +8 which means they cant be 4th level characters also your saves and hit dice will be much much lower than the rest of the party.

that said crusader.

[sideswipe]

half vampires make great tanks, but are not technically undead.

i suggest you play a necropoliton. and either go crusader or some other mundane, funnily enough knights make great tanks. but are a bad class.

the best way to tank is to be the biggest threat in combat. or be the cleric as the standard attack strategy is in order, take down cleric, wizard, rogue, fighter.

[Blackhawk748]

i suggest you play a necropoliton. and either go crusader or some other mundane, funnily enough knights make great tanks. but are a bad class.

Knights aren't bad, they just require some work, honestly a Knight 5/Hell Reaver 10 is a great tank, oh and you can heal yourself. As long as your of a good alignment you can get in with some minor skill investment, oh and you need Power Attack.

[Ettina]

Has to be a vampire. Level adjustment is more flexible, we don't really care if one character outshines the others in combat. (Besides, the campaign will include stealth missions and other noncombat encounters as well, where the other characters will shine.)

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Vampire (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/vampire.htm) has a +8 LA, so you won't be able to squeeze it into a level 3-4 equivalent character. You could take some of the template class (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sp/20030824a), but would end up seriously lacking IMO. Half-Vampire in LM is only a +2 LA, but between blood dependence and its lack of undead immunities it too falls short IMO.

Consider making your character a Necropolitan in LM, which only costs you a single level and has no LA. Say that his creator had at least one level of Wizard (Necromancer) with Enhanced Undead (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/specialistWizardVariants.htm#necromancerVariants), say he had at least eight Dread Necromancer levels, say he had the Corpsecrafter line of feats in LM, and say he created you in the area of a Desecrate (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/desecrate.htm) spell modified by Fell Energy Spell (http://dndtools.eu/feats/dragon-compendium--109/fell-energy-spell--3357/) with an evil altar present. All of that combined will give you the following permanent benefits in addition to what Necropolitan normally gives:

+4 Enhancement to Str and Dex.
+4 initiative.
+10 ft. land speed.
+4 additional turn resistance.
+2 natural armor.
+1d6 cold damage on natural weapon attacks.
+12 hp/level.

Note that Fell Energy Spell turns the normal +1 bonus of Desecrate into +3 before that bonus gets doubled by the presence of the evil altar. Also keep in mind that while it does not explicitly state that Necropolitans are created by any necromancy spell, it does state that they're created by a magical ritual, the details of which are a secret. Magical effects (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/magic/incantations.htm) of various types (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/developingEpicSpells.htm) still have schools, and if it creates an undead creature it's always going to be a necromancy effect, so that should all still work.

Also consider applying either Quasilycanthrope (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mb/20040721a) or Mineral Warrior (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20031003e) to your character prior to becoming a Necropolitan, so you can get DR 10/Silver and a superb disguise ability or DR 8/Adamantine, +3 natural armor, and some other benefits, for only another +1 LA.

Take Crusader from ToB, its healing effects work on every type of creature since they are not Conjuration (Healing).

[Ettina]

I do not want this character to be a necropolitan.

[Eldest]

Are you open to homebrew? This (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=pk5dkt9mcqj4r0l55o0cgg0494&topic=709.0) is a homebrew monster class based around being a vampire, balanced, and from low levels, with a following prestige class (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=pk5dkt9mcqj4r0l55o0cgg0494&topic=11022.msg183950#msg183950) based on eliminating most of the drawbacks and giving more exotic vampire powers. If the rest of your group is getting big templates for free/reduced cost I might ask for one or two levels of the vampire class, and work towards master vampire in game.

[sideswipe]

if it has to be a vampire, then by RAW you cannot be it (even ignoreing the +8 LA) because you do not have 5HD

you could squeeze in vampire spawn.

[Ettina]

if it has to be a vampire, then by RAW you cannot be it (even ignoreing the +8 LA) because you do not have 5HD

you could squeeze in vampire spawn.

?

Vampire Spawn is a kind of vampire. Why are you saying I can't be a vampire and then saying I can?

[WhamBamSam]

Vampiric Dragonwrought Kobold is at least down to 'only' LA+5, and is based on the age of the dragon iirc so you could get it without class levels.

If you're dead set on being a vampire tank, I'd recommend taking the Life Drain feat in Libris Mortis to make your energy drain more potent and get some temporary HP out of it, then dip in Battle Dancer and Cleric for an extra natural attack with iteratives, Cha to AC, and Death Devotion plus fuel.

On a similar note Dracolich Dragonwrought Kobolds are LA+4 and all their abilities and the way their phyllacteries work are pretty well suited to getting down and dirty in melee. Force a save vs. paralysis with your gaze and all your physical attacks to keep enemies from getting to your allies, and if you die, so long as your phyllactery is nearby along with the corpse of some dragon or lizardfolk or something, you can just jump into a new body and get right back to the action (though you won't be able to talk, cast, etc. for a while). Fair warning though, this is basically going to require the massacre of a lot of lizardfolk, and/or some dragon hunting which is even more dangerous, as you have a chance of failure possessing corpses that aren't your own, and your own corpse is too small for you to possess by RAW.

Really though Necropolitan is usually the best option for being undead. If you really don't want that, and want to steer clear of kobold cheese, Gravetouched Ghoul is also melee focused and could maybe work.

EDIT: Vampire Spawn are LA--. You cannot have a vampire spawn PC, though a Necropolitan Thrall of Juiblex 4 (or whatever, so long as you can alter self or polymorph or whatever into undead things) can take the form of a Vampire Spawn and could get at least one cool vampire power with Assume Supernatural Ability.

[sideswipe]

?

Vampire Spawn is a kind of vampire. Why are you saying I can't be a vampire and then saying I can?

because the undead creature template of vampire. which is what you are asking for requires you to have 5 HD. if you do you become a proper vampire.

if you are bitten and drained by a vampire but have less than 5 HD you become a vampire spawn. a weaker, worse version of a vampire that does not look so great and more monstrous than the standard vampire. though you are still an intelligent undead and you still have some vampiric powers.

think of it as a lesser vampire. and still a huge adjustment for what you get.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

?

Vampire Spawn is a kind of vampire. Why are you saying I can't be a vampire and then saying I can?


Create Spawn (Su)
A humanoid or monstrous humanoid slain by a vampire’s energy drain rises as a vampire spawn 1d4 days after burial.

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. In either case, the new vampire or spawn is under the command of the vampire that created it and remains enslaved until its master’s destruction. At any given time a vampire may have enslaved spawn totaling no more than twice its own Hit Dice; any spawn it creates that would exceed this limit are created as free-willed vampires or vampire spawn. A vampire that is enslaved may create and enslave spawn of its own, so a master vampire can control a number of lesser vampires in this fashion. A vampire may voluntarily free an enslaved spawn in order to enslave a new spawn, but once freed, a vampire or vampire spawn cannot be enslaved again.

A Vampire Spawn (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/vampire.htm#vampireSpawn) is a specific creature, not a template, and it has no ability to advance or otherwise improve itself, so it cannot gain levels. If you're not at least 5th level, you end up as a Vampire Spawn instead of being a Vampire.

[Zanos]

A Vampire Lord (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mm/20021018a) could create Vampires(not-spawn) with fewer than 5 HD.

Create Spawn (Su): As base vampire, but vampire lords create only vampire slaves, never vampire spawn. The new vampire is enslaved to the vampire lord until its master's death, and the willpower of the vampire lord is too strong to allow it to break free of its enslavement.
Try to convince your DM that the guy who spawned you is already dead.