everything a rich vampire needs

[Ettina]

OK, I'm thinking of having a PC who's a vampire spawn (released from her master's control) belonging to a rich aristocratic family of vampires. She's been sent on a mission to hunt down this particular guy, a cleric or paladin or some other 'holy & kills undead' type. He probably killed a member of her family, I haven't decided yet. I also haven't decided her class, but it'll be something tanky. Maybe a crusader.

Anyway, her master wants her to have everything she'll need in order to stand a chance against her foe, and money's really no object for him. So, what would a vampire spawn from a tanky class need?

[atemu1234]

Sun Block.

[ArqArturo]

Minions. The bloodier the better :p.

[Jowgen]

Damn there is a lot of vampire things popping up...

Okay, things you'll want:

a) a continuous custom item of Cloak of Dark Power aka. Sunblock
b) a handful of vials of Liquid Night (ghostwalk) as alchemical Sunblock in case your Cloak of Dark Power item gets fried
b.1) a means to apply the Liquid night to yourself before you get fried by sudden sunlight exposure.
b.2) Goggles of Day (MIC) to get yourself a full-round action before getting killed by sunlight (careful it doesn't get hit along with your Cloak of Dark Power item)
c) a couple of Living Masks (Ghostwalk) to hide thy undeadness
d) a means to block both Turning and Rebuking (e.g. item of Positive Energy Protection works against one but not the other)
e) anything to boost your turn resistance in case d) isn't feasible
f) any shenanigans to increase your measily low hp (look at Necroplolitan optimization for inspiration)
g) a portable extradimensional space to hold your coffin, which you can keep close without hassle
h) a source for a swim-speed to not fried by running water

The REALLY important bit, however, is how you get to be a Vampire Spawn. The monster class from Libris Mortis is bad, trapping you for 8 levels that you could instead be using to take the regular vampire template and possibly even the free Vampire Lord template. Get your DM to allow a homebrewed Vampire Spawn template. Vampire Spawn are listed as a +4 LA in Libris Mortis, and you can base the template of the Libris Mortis Monster Class and (if need be) the +4 LA Wight Template from Dragon Magazine... the number escapes my memory atm.

[With a box]

MITD's umbrella

[Venger]

MITD's umbrella

"portable shade" in the common tongue.


Damn there is a lot of vampire things popping up...

Okay, things you'll want:

a) a continuous custom item of Cloak of Dark Power aka. Sunblock
b) a handful of vials of Liquid Night (ghostwalk) as alchemical Sunblock in case your Cloak of Dark Power item gets fried
b.1) a means to apply the Liquid night to yourself before you get fried by sudden sunlight exposure.
b.2) Goggles of Day (MIC) to get yourself a full-round action before getting killed by sunlight (careful it doesn't get hit along with your Cloak of Dark Power item)
c) a couple of Living Masks (Ghostwalk) to hide thy undeadness
d) a means to block both Turning and Rebuking (e.g. item of Positive Energy Protection works against one but not the other)
e) anything to boost your turn resistance in case d) isn't feasible
f) any shenanigans to increase your measily low hp (look at Necroplolitan optimization for inspiration)
g) a portable extradimensional space to hold your coffin, which you can keep close without hassle
h) a source for a swim-speed to not fried by running water

The REALLY important bit, however, is how you get to be a Vampire Spawn. The monster class from Libris Mortis is bad, trapping you for 8 levels that you could instead be using to take the regular vampire template and possibly even the free Vampire Lord template. Get your DM to allow a homebrewed Vampire Spawn template. Vampire Spawn are listed as a +4 LA in Libris Mortis, and you can base the template of the Libris Mortis Monster Class and (if need be) the +4 LA Wight Template from Dragon Magazine... the number escapes my memory atm.


d)vampire lord gives immunity to rebuking. death ward will also technically give it, but you'll need to be temporarily living or considered living for the purpose of spell effects to buff with it or use a continuous item of same.
e) cloak of turn resistance offers an untyped +4, as do the bagpipes of the damned, so that's +8 right there, alongside the +2 from vamp spawn and whatever number of HD you've actually got, so you should be fairly well protected.
f) necrotic reserve doesn't directly increase HP, but it lets you hang on at 0 (albeit staggered) after any hit that would normally kill you, which is very valuable, and vampire spawn qualify via their blood drain ability.
g) they're susceptible to tons of stuff (bag of holding +portable hole, sharp objects, etc) a better option, since you're already apparently relying on continuous items, is a continuous item of hoard gullet. that way your stuff can't be stolen or destroyed by throwing portable holes at it.
h) undead meldshaper + kraken mantle. you gain the swim speed from just the shaped effect, there's no DC involved since it's not offensive, and you don't care about how high the speed is since any swim speed obviates your vulnerability.

[Abd al-Azrad]

A chain of barber shops (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweeney_Todd).

[Jowgen]

d)vampire lord gives immunity to rebuking. death ward will also technically give it, but you'll need to be temporarily living or considered living for the purpose of spell effects to buff with it or use a continuous item of same.
e) cloak of turn resistance offers an untyped +4, as do the bagpipes of the damned, so that's +8 right there, alongside the +2 from vamp spawn and whatever number of HD you've actually got, so you should be fairly well protected.
f) necrotic reserve doesn't directly increase HP, but it lets you hang on at 0 (albeit staggered) after any hit that would normally kill you, which is very valuable, and vampire spawn qualify via their blood drain ability.
g) they're susceptible to tons of stuff (bag of holding +portable hole, sharp objects, etc) a better option, since you're already apparently relying on continuous items, is a continuous item of hoard gullet. that way your stuff can't be stolen or destroyed by throwing portable holes at it.
h) undead meldshaper + kraken mantle. you gain the swim speed from just the shaped effect, there's no DC involved since it's not offensive, and you don't care about how high the speed is since any swim speed obviates your vulnerability.

d) vampire lord isn't really available to spawn, lest said limitation is houseruled away. The deathward limitiation might be circumvented by getting the Death Ward special ability (MIC) added to armor and shield (+1 bonus cost).
e) the bagpipes would need to be playing for the effect, which would probably require a lackey or something to constantly play them, and certainly ruing any chance of being any kind of stealthy.
f) necrotic reserve interacts weirdly with vampire spawn. When reduced to 0 HP, spawn are not destroyed, but instead go through their entire gaseous form->coffin->helpless routine, and they are not destroyed by reaching 0 HP but by having certain special conditions met (e.g. running water, sunlight, stake through the heart).
g) hoard gullet is good for loot, but this was meant specicifcally to keep the coffin safe and within reach in case of 0 HP, which doesn't work for hoard gullet.
h) works, but I recall there being simpler/cheaper options