Avoid dying in sunlight as a vampire

[ZhanStrider]

I'm trying to find a way to keep a vampire character from disintegrating when we go outside.
IIRC Tattoo'd monk has a tattoo that lets you heal in sunlight? Would that work?

[Crake]

There's a spell in pathfinder called protective penumbra (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/p/protective-penumbra) which does what you want for 10 minutes/level as a 2nd level cleric/wizard spell. There is also an obscure 3.0 spell called night's mantle which does the exact same thing, only is a 4th level cleric only spell and costs 1,000gp per casting.

The only noticable difference I can see between the two is that protective penumbra is visually identifiable (it makes you look like you're always in the shade, even when you're blatantly not), as opposed to night's mantle which has no visual identifiers.

Edit: And no, the tattooed monk ability does not help you, you will still instantly die after a round being exposed to sunlight.

[Rift_Wolf]

Unfortunately Vampire's in sunlight dont take damage; they just die.
How sunny is your campaign world? Is it a desert world where researching Protection versus Daylight would be a necessity? Or is it a dreary rain soaked greyness, like the view outside my window? I'm pretty sure a Vampire could live quite happily in Sheffield and only suffer mild discomfort over summer.

[ShurikVch]

Shadow Canopy (Sorcerer/Wizard 6, Races of Faerûn) have duration 1 hour/level, and project cylinder of shadows (25' tall x 100'+50'/level wide) which move with the caster, and protect from sunlight and light spells up to 6th level (light spells of higher level dispel it)

[ZhanStrider]

Unfortunately Vampire's in sunlight dont take damage; they just die.
How sunny is your campaign world? Is it a desert world where researching Protection versus Daylight would be a necessity? Or is it a dreary rain soaked greyness, like the view outside my window? I'm pretty sure a Vampire could live quite happily in Sheffield and only suffer mild discomfort over summer.

We're currently in Not-Africa (lots of plains and tall grasses) but shortly will be going to Not-Brazil (lots of jungle and shade). I'm not a vampire yet, but it is a distinct possibility and I want to be prepared.

[Uncle Pine]

If I'm not mistaken, Sandstorm introduced an umbrella you could use to protect yourself from sunlight.
A Warlock vampire could also use his at will Darkness invocation to cloak himself in darkness.
Combine both and you can pose as a famous OotS character!

[ZhanStrider]

If I'm not mistaken, Sandstorm introduced an umbrella you could use to protect yourself from sunlight.
A Warlock vampire could also use his at will Darkness invocation to cloak himself in darkness.
Combine both and you can pose as a famous OotS character!

Warlock is a good plan.

[sleepyphoenixx]

You can just take a level of warlock to get Darkness as a SLA at will. Combine it with a way to see through magical darkness like Ebon Eyes or the At home in the deep feat and you're good to go for the most part.
You may want to get a Ring of Counterspells or Ring of Spell Battle to prevent your darkness from being dispelled, because it's going to happen sooner or later.
Keep in mind that this tactic fails as soon as someone casts a light spell of 2nd level or higher. It also isn't exactly subtle, but that's the price you pay for being a vampire.

If your DM likes to dig into the books you'll want a little more than that though, and not just outside. High level darkness spells are pretty much the only way to be safe, so unless you're a caster playing a vampire may very well be more hassle than it's worth, and casters don't gain that much from the template.

Some things you may encounter:
ECR offers clerics (of any faith) the option to trade in a domain power in exchange for creating true sunlight in a 10ft radius with a Daylight spell. Easy and cheap, but luckily for you the book isn't used that often.
DoF has Light of Xymor, which is a 5th level [Light] spell that counts as natural sunlight in a big area. Being protected by a spell with the darkness descriptor won't save you there unless it's 6th level or higher. Probably the most obscure book of the bunch, and campaign-specific too, so it's not going to come up unless your DM really hates your character.
Sun Devotion (CC) also creates true sunlight in a 10ft radius, and as a swift action too. It's a pretty common book though, allowed in pretty much all games that aren't core-only. It's rather appropiate for any cleric or paladin of a sun god, so i'd expect to run into this one at least once your character makes a name for himself.

[Lhurgyof]

Liquid Night is an alchemical item that would protect the vampire for an hour.

[Elkad]

This is why we have spell research rules.

A modified Tenser's Floating Disc that functions as an sun parasol instead of a pack mule should still be 1st level and hour/level.

Opague force effect. Stays perpendicular to the sun instead of the ground, and attempts to stay 5' away and between you and the sun at all times.

[ShurikVch]

A Warlock vampire could also use his at will Darkness invocation to cloak himself in darkness.
Combine both and you can pose as a famous OotS character!Nice idea, but it wouldn't work:
Exposing any vampire to direct sunlight disorients it: It can take only a single move action (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/actionsInCombat.htm#moveActions) or attack action and is destroyed utterly in the next round if it cannot escape.Invocations are not a move action (and attack action don't exist)

[Crake]

Nice idea, but it wouldn't work:Invocations are not a move action (and attack action don't exist)

I think the idea is to constantly have yourself wreathed in darkness.

There's also a feat in libris mortis which lets you act normally and survive for 3 rounds instead of a single round, might be worth taking.

[Âmesang]

Couldn't one use cloak of dark power to make a, erm, "cloak of dark power" against the "effects of full sunlight?"

A cloak of cloak of dark power, if you will. :smalltongue:

[ZhanStrider]

All of the these things a very good thoughts. I should probably have a couple at any rate

[Uncle Pine]

Nice idea, but it wouldn't work:Invocations are not a move action (and attack action don't exist)

I think the idea is to constantly have yourself wreathed in darkness.
As Crake said, it goes like this: use Darkness in front of you, move 40 ft. forward. Use Darkness in front of you, move 40 ft. forward. Use Darkness in front of you, move 40 ft. forward... Your foes won't even know what's slowly crawling toward them! Unless they can see through magical darkness, of course.

[sleepyphoenixx]

As Crake said, it goes like this: use Darkness in front of you, move 40 ft. forward. Use Darkness in front of you, move 40 ft. forward. Use Darkness in front of you, move 40 ft. forward... Your foes won't even know what's slowly crawling toward them! Unless they can see through magical darkness, of course.

You could just cast Darkness on your cloak or hat or whatever else and have it move with you.

[Uncle Pine]

You could just cast Darkness on your cloak or hat or whatever else and have it move with you.
I always forget about that "Target: Object touched" line... But this makes Darkness more viable, so I'm not gonna complain about it.

[Xervous]

Then there's the whole comedic effect whereby you cast darkness in a pitch black room and it gets lighter.

[Psyren]

Then there's the whole comedic effect whereby you cast darkness in a pitch black room and it gets lighter.

That happens in 3.5, but Pathfinder fixed that. (3.5 Darkness = sets the light level to an absolute value, PF Darkness = adjusts the light level to a relative value.)

[Uncle Pine]

There's also darklight, a 500 gp psionic version of Dumbledore's lighter from Secrets of Sarlona 140: it affects an 80 ft. radius area, setting the illumination to no light (total darkness, not Darkness), shadow (shadowy illumination), bright light (same as a torch) or beacon (extreme brightness, forces a DC 14 Fortitude save to avoid being dazzled). It's recharged with power points and works for 24 hours/power point, holding up to 7 power point at a time.

[Xervous]

That happens in 3.5, but Pathfinder fixed that. (3.5 Darkness = sets the light level to an absolute value, PF Darkness = adjusts the light level to a relative value.)

So we've got another question for the OP. What rule system is this whole lightshow running on?

[ZhanStrider]

So we've got another question for the OP. What rule system is this whole lightshow running on?

It'ssss 3.5. I feel like my DM will house rule the pathfinder darkness ruling though. I'm probably going to die as a paladin anyway, as the rest of the party is level 9. So with the template I'll have ONE HD.

[Quertus]

This is why we have spell research rules.

A modified Tenser's Floating Disc that functions as an sun parasol instead of a pack mule should still be 1st level and hour/level.

Opague force effect. Stays perpendicular to the sun instead of the ground, and attempts to stay 5' away and between you and the sun at all times.

Well played. Much more practical than trying to keep a mass of spheres of annihilation between yourself and the sun ;)

[Jowgen]

+1 for an item of Cloak of Dark Power.

It does exactly what you need. Thanks to Drow House Insignias, there's even a precedent for an item for it (be in a 1/day). There is no better solution imo

[ShurikVch]

According to Libris Mortis,
Cloud cover or similar interference does not protect the undead creature unless it is thick enough to provide concealment to the creature. For example, a vampire within a fog cloud spell would not adversely be affected by sunlight.One level of Incarnate (with Undead Meldshaper feat) can give you Fellmist Robe, which provides you with minor concealment (10% miss chance, +5% more per essentia investment); may be dispersed by a strong wind (21 mph or greater), but it reforms 1 round after the wind stops

[Psyren]

According to Libris Mortis,One level of Incarnate (with Undead Meldshaper feat) can give you Fellmist Robe, which provides you with minor concealment (10% miss chance, +5% more per essentia investment); may be dispersed by a strong wind (21 mph or greater), but it reforms 1 round after the wind stops

It's only concealment vs. ranged attacks though, not general concealment; may not be good enough until you can bind it to your soul chakra, which is naturally a lot harder.

[ShurikVch]

It's only concealment vs. ranged attacks though, not general concealment; may not be good enough until you can bind it to your soul chakra, which is naturally a lot harder.
How about the Embrace of Shadow - 3rd level CF of Umbral Disciple?

[Curmudgeon]

Deeper Darkness, cast on your hat, is a good long duration protective spell. I'd use it in conjunction with something else, because 1 round isn't much time to find cover.

[Crake]

According to Libris Mortis,One level of Incarnate (with Undead Meldshaper feat) can give you Fellmist Robe, which provides you with minor concealment (10% miss chance, +5% more per essentia investment); may be dispersed by a strong wind (21 mph or greater), but it reforms 1 round after the wind stops

Hold on. This makes no sense. If the sky is overcast, and someone was on one side of the clouds and someone on the other side, they would have total cover to one-another, correct? Why does someone need a localised fog cloud on top of them for it to work? The way I run it is: If it's completely overcast and grey, then the vampire is fine. Completely overcast and white doesn't and the sun being covered by a particularly large cloud, but otherwise blue skies also doesnt (since technically the blue sky is the light refracting through the atmosphere, so it's essentially direct sunlight that's been curved.

I don't know why i rambled about my personal houserules just now, but I did.