The Innistrad Vampire (Magic: The Gathering Crossover) (WIP, PEACH)

[Buufreak]

So, I have been gradually homebrewing all kinds of M:tG Multiverse creatures, settings, and the like. However, I run into the Vampires. Not a single example of Vampire from Magic fits perfectly into the mold set in MM1. So this is what I am working with, currently, and would greatly appreciate a critique or ways to improve upon it, based on assumptions made by observing the cards and reading the backstory and lore from http://magic.wizards.com/ and various card flavor text. I'm also reading heavily into the lore gathered on http://mtgsalvation.gamepedia.com/Main_Page and in the newly released Planescape: Innistrad book.

So, without further adieu, we have a race of creatures that started as Human, but was transformed by an ancient blood ritual given to them by a demon lord. This forever changed 12 noble families into immortal, blood thirsty, although incredibly sophisticated and aristocracy based creatures. Now, centuries later, 5 major bloodlines remain (although a few others can be extrapolated from flavor text) and they all continue to sire more members for each clan. It is also important to note that power comes gradually to these Vampires, and as they age they become more patient and cunning, but also begin to master different abilities, such as spellcasting (necromancy based spell-like abilities) supernatural flight, and others. So this means that as a race, it can progress somewhat similarly to true dragons, and their age based abilities vary by their particular family (all vampires can learn any ability, but each family has tendencies and favorites).

Another important thing to note is while strong compared to Humans (a standard Human is a 1/1, and the youngest of Vampires is a 2/1 with the ability to feed and grow stronger), but somewhat weaker than their rival Werewolves (the weakest non-mutant Werewolf is a 2/2). That roughly translates to, at the point of transformation, a Vampire is as physically destructive but as a Werewolf without being capable of taking as much damage (I won't say half as much, because assumptions aside that feels too general.)

So, crazy card reading and math aside, I want to compare these young Vampires to a Werewolf, stat to stat, and see where it gets me for a base template to build onto as they age. So a Werewolf (straight from MM and SRD) gets 2 HD, 2 STR, 4 DEX, 4 CON, 4 NA, and DR 5/silver. A Human (using my variant rules derived from Planescape: Innistrad) gets at most +2 to a single ability, a feat, and skill points. A Vampire, which is logically undead (unlike most Vampires in M:tG), has a Con of -. Good, handled. If I give them equal Str of a Werewolf, that would be a +2. So, applied on top of Human (as all these creatures of the night are, because that is all Innistrad has) you have an additional +2 and undead traits. Is that justifiable, or should they receive an extra nudge starting out?

Now we look into the mind of the Vampire. They are, at time of creation, a bit crazed. So much so that the example 2/1 Vampire used above is forced to attack every turn. Would this be best represented by a flat Wis penalty, or using a more strict version of the Undead Hunger: Diet Dependent rules found in Libris Mortis until they age further?

Okay, I think that is enough for a start, if I am missing anything blatant, please make mention and I will address it ASAP. I think I can make something rather good here without being the bag of Level Adjustments that the MM has, which is one of my ultimate goals. I humbly await input as I continue my research!

Edit the first: Alright, reading further, we can extrapolate more information. As a standard, Vampires had a DR of 10/silver and magic. However, it is listed in PS:I that a vampire is particularly weak to a weapon cut from living wood, but any weapon is capable of harming them. They are also incapable of crossing any running water that reflects the moon, a weakness to holy water, and take great effort to avoid any reflective surface made of silver. That is literally it for weaknesses, although setting-based superstition says otherwise. So, sticking with our idea of apples to apples with the base Werewolf, a DR of 5/wood is acceptable for the starting "neonate" Vampire. Otherwise, stats are pretty plain and basic for the young blood sucker. This roughly means fleshing out the age categories is a need much sooner than I thought. I will get started on that tomorrow, when I figure out the formatting of tables for this site.

[Buufreak]

Alright, instead of constantly editing the original post, I'm going to use a second one as a less workshop, more finished product view of things. This is the table I came up with for aging a vampire, with explanations of everything soon to follow. Do note that I am taking some liberties from the MM as well as the online supplements that provided a savage progression for the vampire and the vampire lord. Special thanks goes out to Zaydos for helping me learn how tables work on here!

VAMPIRES BY AGE


Age
Years
Ability Scores
Satiation
Will DC
Damage
Special
LA


Neonate

0 - 5

+2 Str, Con -

1 Day

25

2d6

Blood Drain, Create Vampire, Still of the Night, Slam, DR 5/Wood, Vampire Traits

1


Adult

5 - 100

+2 Dex, +2 Cha

3 Days

20

1d6

Glamer, Cold Resistance 5, Electricity Resistance 5, Alertness, Vampire Skills +2, Turn Resistance +2

2


Elder

100 - 500

+2 Str, +2 Int, +2 Wis

1 Week

20

1d4

Vampire Abilities, DR 10/Wood and Magic, Improved Initiative, Vampire Skills +4

3


Ancient

500+

+2 Str, +2 Dex, +2 Cha

2 Weeks

15

1d4

Bloodline Secrets, Cold Resistance 10, Electricity Resistance 10, Combat Reflexes, Vampire Skills +6, Turn Resistance +4

4


Bloodline Sire

-

+4 Str, +2 Dex, +2 Wis, +4 Cha

1 Month

15

1d2

Sire Abilities, Cold Immunity, Electricity Immunity, DR 20/Wood, Good, and Magic, Vampire Skills +8, Turn Resistance +6

-


Ability Scores: The ability score in question increases or decreases by the indicated amount. These are unnamed bonuses that stack with all other bonuses, including each other.

Satiation: All Vampires carry an inescapable thirst for Human blood. A Vampire must feed as often as listed in the Satiation column for their Age category, or else must make a Will save, as listed in the above table. Success means the Vampire can continue for another period of time as listed without worry. Failure, however, means the hunger is beginning to grow too much for the Vampire, as they take Wisdom damage as listed above. Any Vampire that has his Wisdom reduced to 0 in this way does not fall into a coma as normal, but instead becomes mindless and feral until able to feed.

Blood Drain (ex): A Vampire can attempt to bite a victim with his protruding fangs and suck their blood. If the Vampire makes a successful grapple check and pins the foe, it sucks blood, dealing 1d4 points of Consitution damage each round that the pin is maintained. With each such successful attack, the Vampire gains 5 temporary hit points.

Create Vampire (ex): Though not always patient enough, every Vampire, from the moment of siring, is capable of creating another Vampire. Unlike most undead that spread by Constitution damage or Energy Drain, becoming a Vampire is a willing process that involves a ritual of sharing and abiding blood between Man and Vampire. This is sometimes a small ceremony, but usually takes place in large manors or castles, surrounded by celebration and festival. Upon completion, the Human dies, and rises as a Neonate Vampire the next night.

Still of the Night (ex): From the moment a Vampire first opens their eyes into their new unlife, they emenate a mystical aura of silence. This is represented by an aura that reaches 5ft per Hit Die the Vampire has. To anyone other than a Vampire, being inside this aura gives an easy feeling, but more importantly all sound falls silent. This illusory effect does not stop spellcasting, but does require non-Vampires to make a Concentration check equal to 10 + the spell level or lose the spell being cast. While purely cosmetic, this effect is additive, and large gatherings of Vampires can cause total silence to fill a castle, or even small cities.

Slam: Vampires have a natural Slam attack that deals 1d6 + 1 1/2 times Strength modifier.

Damage Reduction (su): Although any weapon can harm a Vampire, weapons cut from living wood prove to be most effective. Starting at the Neonate age, a Vampire gains DR 5/Wood, increasing to DR 10/Wood and Magic at the Elder age, and DR 20/Wood, Good, and Magic at the Bloodsire age.

Vampire Traits: As undead, Vampires do not have a Constitution score. A Vampire uses his Charisma modifier for all skills, save DCs, and other quantities previously incorporated into his Constitution modifier. All current and future Hit Dice become D12s (do not recalculate Base Attack, Saves, or Skill Points). The Vampire gains immunity to all attacks normally ineffective against undead (except mind-affecting effects), and becomes vulnerable to Turning. The Vampire also gains Darkvision 60ft, is unaffected by raise dead and reincarnate, and no longer needs to breath.

Turn Resistance (ex): An Adult Vampire becomes less susceptible to the effects of turning, gaining +2 Turn Resistance. This increases to +4 at Ancient age, and +6 as a Bloodsire.

Glamer (su): When becoming an Adult Vampire, he gains the supernatural ability to use a unique form of mind-affecting magic. This allows them to move amongst Humans without raising suspicion or becoming detected. All onlookers are entitled to a Will Save (DC = 10 + Vampires Cha mod + 1/2 Vampires HD) to shake off the effect of the Glamer and see the Vampire's true form. Some Vampires choose to walk about without the use of Glamer, as both a means of showing of their own splendor, but also as a challenge to The Church.

Resistances (ex): When becoming an Adult Vampire, he gains Cold Resistance 5 and Electricity Resistance 5. These both increase to 10 when reaching the Ancient age category.

Bonus Feats: The Vampire gains bonus feats based on his age category, as shown in the above table, assuming that he doesn't already have them. If the Vampire doesn't meet the prerequisites (if any) for a bonus feat, he gains it but can not use it until he meets the prerequisites.

Vampire Skills: A Vampire gains an untyped bonus on Bluff, Hide, Listen, Move Silently, Search, Sense Motive, and Spot checks equal to the number listed in the above table.

Vampire Abilities: For every 100 years a Vampire has enjoyed their new life, they gain a special ability from the list below, linked usually to their bloodline (though any Vampire can select any ability). Unless stated otherwise, a Vampire can select each of these abilities only once.

Animal Form (su): The Vampire can, as a standard action, assume the form of either a bat, cat, or rat, or return to his original form. The Vampire must select which Animal Form to assume when selecting this ability, and can not be changed later. A Vampire can select this ability three times to gain the use of each Animal Forms, and can then use a standard action to switch between them. This is the favored ability of the Voldaren family.

Charm (su): The Vampire can, as a standard action, charm a Human with only a gaze. This functions as the Charm Person spell (Caster Level 5th). This is the favored ability of the Markov family.

Flight (su): The Vampire gains a flight of 30ft with perfect maneuverability. This is the favored ability of the Falkenrath family.

Gorger (ex): The Vampire becomes extraordinarily hardy when indulging in blood. When feeding on a Human with the Blood Drain ability, he gains 5 + the targets Hit Dice Temporary Hit Points with each successful attack. This is the favored ability of the Maurer family.

Invocations (sp): The Vampire learns to use Eldritch Blast, and any 2 other Least Invocations (Caster Level 5th). Saves are calculated normally as if used by a Warlock. This Vampire Ability can be selected multiple times, each time selecting 2 more Least Invocations. This is the favored ability of the nearly forgotten Dusken family.

Mist Form (su): The Vampire can, as a standard action, turn into a cloud of mist, or return to his original form. This functions as the Gaseous Form spell, except he may remain in the form indefinitely and has a fly speed of 20 feet with perfect maneuverability. This is the favored ability of the Stromkirk family.

Spell-like Abilities: The Vampire gains the ability to cast spell-like abilities (Caster Level 5th). They are selected as any two 1st level spells and one 2nd level spell from the following list, usable 3 times a day each: Bane, Calm Emotions, Cause Fear, Chill Touch, Darkness, Death Knell, Desecrate, Detect Good, Doom, Fog Cloud, Hold Person, Minor Image, Obscuring Mist, Protection From Good, Scare, Silent Image, Sleep, Undetectable Alignment. This Vampire Ability can be selected multiple times, each time selecting new spells.

Bloodline Secrets: For every 500 years a Vampire has enjoyed their new life, they gain a special ability from the list below, linked usually to their bloodline (though any Vampire can select any ability). Unless stated otherwise, a Vampire can select each of these abilities only once.

Animal Swarm Form (su): The Vampire can, as a standard action, assume the form of either a bat swarm or a rat swarm. The Vampire must select which Animal Swarm Form to assume when selecting this ability, and can not be changed later. A Vampire can select this ability twice to gain the use of each Animal Swarm Forms, and can then use a standard action to switch between them. A Vampire must already have the Animal Form ability to choose this Bloodline Secret.

Choking Mist Form (su): The Vampire can, as a standard action, turn into a cloud of mist, or return to his original form. Any non-Vampire creature adjacent to or sharing a square with the Vampire who is using this ability must make a Fortitude save or suffer a -4 penalty to their Strength and Dexterity scores. The Vampire can remain in this form for up to 1 hour per day, and has a fly speed of 20 feet with perfect maneuverability. A Vampire must already have the Mist Form ability to choose this Bloodline Secret.

Domination (su): The Vampire can, as a standard action, completely control a Human’s mind. This functions as the Dominate Person spell (Caster Level 10th). A Vampire must already have the Charm ability to choose this Bloodline Secret.

Improved Flight (su): The Vampire gains a flight speed of 60ft with perfect maneuverability. A Vampire must already have the Flight ability to choose this Bloodline Secret.

Insatiable (ex):

Greater Invocation (sp): The Vampire learns to use a Greater Invocation. Saves are calculated normally as if used by a Warlock. A Vampire can select this ability multiple times, each time selecting a new Greater Invocation. A Vampire must already have the Invocations ability to choose this Bloodline Secret.

Spell-Like Ability:

Sire Abilities: As one of the original Vampires and progenitor of an entire bloodline, a Bloodsire has mastery over all known Vampire Abilities and Secrets, and is capable of using them at will.

Immunities: Only the Bloodsires, those original 12 who created the curse of Vampirism Millennia ago, are completely immune to the effects of Cold and Electricity.

Edit the I've lost count: Typos.