Faux Vampire idea help.

[Serin]

So I don't have a game to use this idea in right now, but I've got a character idea thats pretty interesting and I'd like some input as to how to make it the most effective given that I am unfamiliar with the classes I would use.

Assume 3.P and no source restrictions because that is what I am assuming for the exercise. This PC would definitely not be game breaking but I think it would be crazy fun. The goal for the role would be 1) Face 2) melee damage 3) stealth with some ranged/debuff capabilities.


Anyway, I want to make a character that feels very "vampirey" without using any templates or monster levels. Possibly without even being undead. My thoughts on this are basically:

warlock16/warshaper4

Take Eldritch Spear, Claws and/or Glaive, and the useful utility invocations for flight etc. Claws are more thematic for a feral vampire but glaive is more appropriate for a charismatic scoundrel Face type.

I could obviously go with necropolitan for easy access to undead type, but id probably go with changling for easy warshaper shenanigans.

Thats about as far as I can take it with my lack of familiarity with these classes, I would be eternally grateful if you glorious optimizers could give me some pointers and entertain me just a smidge.

(also I know changling -> warshaper is a bit sketchy, but for entertainment's sake lets just assume it works 100% ok?)

Thanks!

[Flickerdart]

Just so we are on the same page, I'm going to propose a list of iconic vampire traits, and if anything is missing or not necessary, chime in.


Blood sucking: The most iconic thing about vampires is that they drain the life from their victims through their blood.
Spawn: Vampires turn people into more vampires.
Transformation: Vampires can take on the shape of a bat or fog.
Otherworldly toughness: Vampires are hard to kill, and even a heavily injured vampire can rest in its coffin to recover.
Mind control: Vampires can command others, either through breaking their minds or seducing them.

[Serin]

Blood sucking: The most iconic thing about vampires is that they drain the life from their victims through their blood.
Spawn: Vampires turn people into more vampires.
Transformation: Vampires can take on the shape of a bat or fog.
Otherworldly toughness: Vampires are hard to kill, and even a heavily injured vampire can rest in its coffin to recover.
Mind control: Vampires can command others, either through breaking their minds or seducing them.


Blood sucking - definitely a plus if we can work this in. I had considered Dhampir as a race to gain this but again, changling is pretty attractive to make warshaper easy.

Spawn - Not required at all unless its easy to do. Not really Concerned about minionmancing with this idea, plus leadership could be a reasonable facsimile.

Transformation - definitely fun, but not required. I know its iconic but I think it may be difficult without taking actual caster levels and if im correct warlock has essentially at will invis which could be fluffed kinda like fog.

Other-worldy toughness - Definitely want as much of this as possible. As mentioned the role of the PC would be Facing and Melee, and being tough to kill would be beneficial there.

Mind-Control - Some minor mind control would be fun, a la charm person SLA/item or some such shenanigans. However, my PCs tend to prioritize bluff and I personally am blessed with being a rather charismatic person and historically I do very well with bluff shenanigans even without magic.

Does that help Flickerdart?

*edited for grammar

[Flickerdart]

Would you be willing to consider drow for a race? It's fairly monstrous, but then again you're already going for changeling. The reason you want drow is because of the sweet feat Gift of the Spider Queen. It lets you do four things - purge lanterns and torches, create a mirror image, see invisibility, and disappear in a blinding flash of light (turning invisible and blinding people all at once). Also, the feat Blend Into Shadows allows you to Hide in Plain Sight when inside/near magical darkness. A Drow Warlock with these two feats is an awesome ninja type that wields the darkness as a weapon. Very thematic, right? As a "vampire" you would wrap your foes in a cloak of shadow, and then murder them in the face while they can't effectively fight back.

To "drain blood" you could use Disemboweling Strike to add Constitution damage to your sneak attacks. Combine that with the rogue's Crippling Strike (Strength damage on sneak attacks) and you have a means of leaving your opponents weak and bloodless, just like Dracula's victims.

You could also be a Shifter, and use Longtooth Elite to deal Constitution damage with your bite attacks. Pro tip: since Shifters are Humanoid, you can use Racial Emulation on a Changeling to pick up this feat, as long as you are shifter-shaped.

[Telonius]

You could take the Psionic route. Elan Psychic Warrior/Soul Eater.

[Serin]

I actually really like the drow ideas, but that presents me the problem of qualifying and maintaining Warshaper, which I was going to use to provide claws, feat healing, crit/stun immunity, and in general be pretty vampy.

On the other hand, changling taking racial emulation and longtooth elite would let me use warshaper/minor shape change to keep a bite attack that would deal 1 con dmg every hit.

Both are spectacular ideas though!

Ultimately im thinking about trying to build her as a Glaivelock or Clawlock with warshaper levels for fast healing and then trying to pump survivability some and pretty much do a Face/ Stealthy Striker thing.

Clawlock would probably synergize well with warshaper and I know its easier to stack on the damage, but glaivelock has touch attacks going for it. Either way I was planning to sort of fluff the Eldritch blast damage as the supernatural strength vampires are known for and pretty much tank str focusing on dex. Especially since warshaper gives +4 str anyway.

Are there any useful Eldritch Blast shenanigans other than Hellfire which could be useful? Since Binder/Warlock/Warshaper would probably take forever to come online?


*edit* New post

I'm not sure about psychic warrior, given that a lot of the feel of where I was headed with this comes from the warlock/warshaper combo. But even just 1 level in soul eater gives a negative level on touching a target, which with claw attacks could be potent. Though I'd have to figure out a way to qualify for it as it specifies non humanoid races.

[Flickerdart]

I actually really like the drow ideas, but that presents me the problem of qualifying and maintaining Warshaper, which I was going to use to provide claws, feat healing, crit/stun immunity, and in general be pretty vampy.
You don't really need to be a drow to take those feats - Blend Into Shadows doesn't require it, and as long as you have Racial Emulation and are willing to juggle "stealth" and "combat" modes, you can change shape into a Drow to qualify for Gift of the Spider Queen. Just find some other sources of dancing lights, faerie fire, and darkness SLAs. Darkness is easy, Warlock gets it infinity times a day. Depending on the DM, Master of Shadow will give you 1 use of each.

Also, get a Necklace of Natural Attacks with wounding on it for an extra 1 CON damage per hit.

[SangoProduction]

If that's what you want out of your war shaper, you would be better suited to using a vampire template (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/templates/vampire), or half-vampire (http://www.realmshelps.net/monsters/templates/halfvampire.shtml), which does exactly what you say you are wanting with fewer levels.
And don't have to worry about qualifying for warshaper since you get innate transformation with the vampire.

But, the entire idea was to be a fake vampire...why not be a wizard? There are plenty of gish spells, and I'm sure there's at least 1 Con-draining spell which you could fluff as draining their blood like Vlad from League of Legends.
But Wizards are far too easy to just do everything, and is really no fun. Whenever someone suggests "just go Wizard" I just sigh a little on the inside.

So, here's the real suggestion
You could be a Lich, which:
1) Is really damned tough (compared to warshaper) with innate DR and natural armor, and getting the maximum die size possible for *all* of their HD. DR is often fluffed as near-instant regeneration in the books. You can probably use that same fluff here.
2) Not to mention, you remain healed by negative and harmed by positive, which changeling does not.
3) You get minor mind control in the fear and paralysis (which are rather trade mark of vampires).
4) And the touch attack to deal negative energy damage can be fluffed as calling the blood straight through the skin.
5) And you can have a coffin be your phylactery.

-1) You do lose 4 levels, but from the sounds of it, it doesn't seem that much of a concern.
-2) The caster level requirements are rather annoying. So you can't be a lich from the start.

[Serin]

Flickerdart:

Good call on continued use of racial emulation to mimic drow. I wouldn't really mind use activated stealth and combat modes like that, kinda sounds fun.


I noticed a few other feats for shifters that are somewhat interesting, though most of them other than lontooth elite specify that the benefit applies while shifting. Am I correct that using racial emulation would not gain such a benefit, since I don't actually shift?

Sango:

Yea part of the idea was to get vampire feels without using the templates, since the templates often really hurt over all with that huge LA or because DMs dislike them sometimes. I do like where you're going with the Lich idea, but that still might not be feasible. Think of this as an exercise in a vein similar to the Ikea-Tarrasque. I'm trying to put together an "Ikea-Vampire" that is fun to play, won't get books thrown at me when I find a game, and doesn't cripple me with LA. So far I think the only real questionable item I am utilizing is Changling -> Warshaper.

Especially because playing wizards *always* gets books thrown at me. And sometimes Rogues. If its an intrique/mystery campaign rogues and investigators definitely get books thrown at me.

[Flickerdart]

I noticed a few other feats for shifters that are somewhat interesting, though most of them other than lontooth elite specify that the benefit applies while shifting. Am I correct that using racial emulation would not gain such a benefit, since I don't actually shift?


That is correct - the only thing Racial Emulation gets you is counting as that creature for prerequisites. A charitable DM may count change shape as shifting (after all, you are transforming, right?) but unless you are good at fast-talking or pizza-buying, you're probably out of luck.