Vampire with a pulse

[Scribble]

I need a vampire to be able to pass themselves off as alive; body heat, a pulse, etc.

I could swear there was a spell that did this and I thought it was called False Life but that appears to be something else entirely.

Anyone know of a spell like that? Disguise Self doesn't let you change your creature type so can't use that to appear Not Undead.

[Afgncaap5]

I need a vampire to be able to pass themselves off as alive; body heat, a pulse, etc.

I could swear there was a spell that did this and I thought it was called False Life but that appears to be something else entirely.

Anyone know of a spell like that? Disguise Self doesn't let you change your creature type so can't use that to appear Not Undead.

It can't do it by RAW, but I'd personally allow Prestidigitation to give a pulse. Also, Silent Image can create the illusion of some sort of "force", and I might allow a heart beat's pulse to qualify as that, though then there's a will save.

Edit: Upgrade it to Major Image and you can make the illusion grant warmth as well.

Also, are you the DM or a player? If you're the DM you could decide that vampires in your setting are more like Dracula-style vampires than D&D's typical "walking corpse, all metabolic processes stop" vampires.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

If your vampire takes the Human Heritage or the Human Blood feat, you count as humanoid (human) when it benefits you, such as when you're being Turned/Rebuked or when you're hit with command undead or control undead. This allows you to use the alter self spell to take humanoid form, and, ostensibly, this would give you the appearance of being alive. The metamorphosis psionic power would certainly do so, since it would give you a Con score (which alter self doesn't grant).

[sleepyphoenixx]

The reason Disguise Self doesn't work has nothing to do with creature type.
You can't change your body type, but assuming that your vampire was humanoid-shaped in life that shouldn't be an issue.
The problem is that Disguise Self is visual-only, and a pulse is not visual.

Disguise Undead (SpC) doesn't do that either, but it fools magical means of detecting undead, which might be helpful.
Misrepresent Alignment (RoE) should also help, so you don't show up as chaotic evil to every two-bit paladin off the street.

To make a vampire actually feel and smell like a living person you could use Veil (PHB), which covers everything but the sound of your heartbeat (for creatures with really high listen).
That should be enough against humans and the like. In fact i doubt it'll come up unless you're in a silent room with someone who has high listen, and thinks to listen for it.

To get the full package you'll have to resort to transmutation - either Draconic Polymorph or Polymorph any Object (normal Polymorph is living only), though you'll lose your undead immunities.

It can't do it by RAW, but I'd personally allow Prestidigitation to give a pulse. Also, Silent Image can create the illusion of some sort of "force", and I might allow a heart beat's pulse to qualify as that, though then there's a will save.

Edit: Upgrade it to Major Image and you can make the illusion grant warmth as well.

Silent Image and Major Image are figments.

Figments cannot make something seem to be something else

If your vampire takes the Human Heritage or the Human Blood feat, you count as humanoid (human) when it benefits you, such as when you're being Turned/Rebuked or when you're hit with command undead or control undead. This allows you to use the alter self spell to take humanoid form, and, ostensibly, this would give you the appearance of being alive. The metamorphosis psionic power would certainly do so, since it would give you a Con score (which alter self doesn't grant).
Note that this is highly questionable (and extremely cheesy). In my experience most DMs don't regard "undead created from a humans corpse" as "human-descended race". YMMV.
It also doesn't actually change anything about your physical form in any case. It just makes you count as humanoid (human), but it doesn't grant you body heat or a pulse.

Metamorphosis would certainly work if you can get the psionics or a manifester that knows it and the Soul Crystal power (MoI), but it has the same issues as polymorphing - you lose your undead-type immunities.

[Inevitability]

Use Invisible Clothier's Closet to create see-through clothes. Have the vampire don an invisible full body suit, then heat it with Prestidigitation.

Heartbeat is trickier, but should be largely irrelevant. How often are people actively searching for a pulse in a conscious person? Even in situations where the lack of a pulse should be noticeable, it's still not something people will immediately realize.

[Scribble]

It can't do it by RAW, but I'd personally allow Prestidigitation to give a pulse. Also, Silent Image can create the illusion of some sort of "force", and I might allow a heart beat's pulse to qualify as that, though then there's a will save.

Edit: Upgrade it to Major Image and you can make the illusion grant warmth as well.

Also, are you the DM or a player? If you're the DM you could decide that vampires in your setting are more like Dracula-style vampires than D&D's typical "walking corpse, all metabolic processes stop" vampires.

Player. The DM is going to be running a hilariously OP evil campaign (one of the the other players is a Doppelganger with the Nightmare Creature template) and I got permission to take the Dread Vampire template. I'm applying it to a kobold sorcerer because I think that's just funny (and access to Protective Penumbra) and I'm wondering just how convincing I can get with my claims of "Of course I'm not a vampire!" besides having a ridiculous Bluff bonus.

[MasterFu]

I need a vampire to be able to pass themselves off as alive; body heat, a pulse, etc.

I could swear there was a spell that did this and I thought it was called False Life but that appears to be something else entirely.

Anyone know of a spell like that? Disguise Self doesn't let you change your creature type so can't use that to appear Not Undead.

If pathfinder content is allowed, "Appearance of Life" (Cleric/Wiz 3) will give the illusionary appearance of life, while "Daywalker" (Cler/Wiz 5) actually suppresses daylight sensitivity and many other typical undead vulnerabilities.

[Scribble]

If pathfinder content is allowed, "Appearance of Life" (Cleric/Wiz 3) will give the illusionary appearance of life, while "Daywalker" (Cler/Wiz 5) actually suppresses daylight sensitivity and many other typical undead vulnerabilities.

This is a PF game so those spells are totally available. I'm definitely using Daywalker once I can cast it, definitely better than a metamagic'd Penumbra. Appearance of Life is a little less useful to me personally... but could come in handy for my shambling minions.

[Alcore]

In libris mortis there is a druid spell (cleric 7 instead of druid8) called spark of life it makes the undead vulnerable to many things a living person would face. It doesn't say heartbeat but that tends to be fluff.

Sunlight, water and the spell/debuffs built in yellow glow are things you'll need to look out for. The glow could be worked around with illusions.

[PacMan2247]

Cast animate object on the vampire's heart.

[Jack_Simth]

This is a PF game so those spells are totally available. I'm definitely using Daywalker once I can cast it, definitely better than a metamagic'd Penumbra. Appearance of Life is a little less useful to me personally... but could come in handy for my shambling minions.

I just looked up Appearance of Life (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/a/appearance-of-life):
Definitely doesn't do it due to the lack of temperature and texture.
I'm really curious about the material component: How much control over a creature do you need to treat it as a material component? That might end up being the lowest level "no save just die" spell ever. Mind you: A simple Rat (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/animals/rat/rat-common) costs just 1 cp (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/equipment---final/goods-and-services/animals-animal-gear) and fits the requirements... but still...

As it is a Pathfinder game, though, a simple Alter Self (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/a/alter-self) (possibly via Hat of Disguise, Greater (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/wondrous-items/wondrous-items/h-l/hat-of-disguise)) should do the job, as it turns you into a humanoid (without changing type). Doesn't stop sunlight, but then, you're using Vampire Lord, so you can walk around in sunlight just fine anyway.

[Alent]

Player. The DM is going to be running a hilariously OP evil campaign (one of the the other players is a Doppelganger with the Nightmare Creature template) and I got permission to take the Dread Vampire template. I'm applying it to a kobold sorcerer because I think that's just funny (and access to Protective Penumbra) and I'm wondering just how convincing I can get with my claims of "Of course I'm not a vampire!" besides having a ridiculous Bluff bonus.

Since you're protected from sun exposure, just sunbathe on rocks every chance you get. If anyone asks, "I'm a lizard, now get out of my sun." Lies the person you're talking to already believes are the best lies. :smallamused:

As to the pulse, nobody is likely to be checking a Kobold for a pulse. (would you even be able to feel it through the scales?) Hence, you're only worried about the sound for things with hypersensitive hearing: permanency prestidigitation on two small sealed waterskins to pump the water to different sides of the waterskins in a way that sounds like a lizard's pulse. Wrap the waterskins in a leadlined bag with a few armored plates and stick it in your chest, wrapping it around your heart such that the armored plates protect the heart from being staked.

You now have an audible heartbeat that is shielded from divination and a plausible excuse for why you're cold. (Although, armoring your heart might cause a vampiric arms race at your table.)


I just looked up Appearence of Life:
I'm really curious about the material component: How much control over a creature do you need to treat it as a material component? That might end up being the lowest level "no save just die" spell ever. Mind you: A simple Rat (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/animals/rat/rat-common) costs just 1 cp (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/equipment---final/goods-and-services/animals-animal-gear) and fits the requirements... but still...

I'm suddenly sad that pathfinder doesn't allow the bagspell component pouch of rats fighter.

[Scribble]

Since you're protected from sun exposure, just sunbathe on rocks every chance you get. If anyone asks, "I'm a lizard, now get out of my sun." Lies the person you're talking to already believes are the best lies. :smallamused:

As to the pulse, nobody is likely to be checking a Kobold for a pulse. (would you even be able to feel it through the scales?) Hence, you're only worried about the sound for things with hypersensitive hearing: permanency prestidigitation on two small sealed waterskins to pump the water to different sides of the waterskins in a way that sounds like a lizard's pulse. Wrap the waterskins in a leadlined bag with a few armored plates and stick it in your chest, wrapping it around your heart such that the armored plates protect the heart from being staked.

You now have an audible heartbeat that is shielded from divination and a plausible excuse for why you're cold. (Although, armoring your heart might cause a vampiric arms race at your table.)

I'm suddenly sad that pathfinder doesn't allow the bagspell component pouch of rats fighter.

Dread Vampires ignore normal wooden stakes to the heart, they have to be Blessed. But armoring my heart is an interesting notion if the DM allows it. I've got fast healing though, would have to do something to keep the hole open long enough to do the operation.


I just looked up Appearance of Life (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/a/appearance-of-life):
Definitely doesn't do it due to the lack of temperature and texture.
I'm really curious about the material component: How much control over a creature do you need to treat it as a material component? That might end up being the lowest level "no save just die" spell ever. Mind you: A simple Rat (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/animals/rat/rat-common) costs just 1 cp (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/equipment---final/goods-and-services/animals-animal-gear) and fits the requirements... but still...

As it is a Pathfinder game, though, a simple Alter Self (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/a/alter-self) (possibly via Hat of Disguise, Greater (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/wondrous-items/wondrous-items/h-l/hat-of-disguise)) should do the job, as it turns you into a humanoid (without changing type). Doesn't stop sunlight, but then, you're using Vampire Lord, so you can walk around in sunlight just fine anyway.

Dread Vampire, not Vampire Lord. Dread Vampires do take sunlight damage. They get staggered like normal vampires but then they start taking 5 points of damage per round they stay in the sun, it also turns off their fast healing of course, but gives me more than enough time to cast Protective Penumbra.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Find a way (or two, or preferably three) to cast protective penumbra as an undispellable Supernatural Ability. If this were 3.P, I'd suggest the dweomerkeeper for Supernatural Spell, because it's awesomazing.

[Jack_Simth]

Dread Vampires ignore normal wooden stakes to the heart, they have to be Blessed. But armoring my heart is an interesting notion if the DM allows it. I've got fast healing though, would have to do something to keep the hole open long enough to do the operation.



Dread Vampire, not Vampire Lord. Dread Vampires do take sunlight damage. They get staggered like normal vampires but then they start taking 5 points of damage per round they stay in the sun, it also turns off their fast healing of course, but gives me more than enough time to cast Protective Penumbra.

Oh. Well, your response to me covers how to keep the hole open during surgery in your response to Norren. You either be quick about the surgery, or have a friendly Evil cleric ready with Inflict spells as needed.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Doesn't unconsciousness turn off fast healing? In this case, "knock yourself out!" takes on a hole new meaning.

Badum-tsh.

[Scribble]

Doesn't unconsciousness turn off fast healing? In this case, "knock yourself out!" takes on a hole new meaning.

Badum-tsh.

Argh... bad joke is bad...

But no, fast healing continues to function even when you're at negative hitpoints.

Also undead are immune to non-lethal damage. You can't knock out a vampire.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Argh... bad joke is bad...I'll be here all day.


But no, fast healing continues to function even when you're at negative hitpoints.Upon checking, that appears to be the case. There's something in 3rd edition that negates that, though, and it's not in the fast healing entry. Don't recall where it was, though, and I don't know if it translates into Pathfinder at all.


Also undead are immune to non-lethal damage. You can't knock out a vampire.But they can sleep and/or suppress their immunities, aye?

[Bohandas]

Entire body painted with thick makeup should provide both a reflection and protection from sun exposure provided that the makeup id totally opaque and that they hide their eyes.

[Scribble]

Actually, I found a way to turn off the fast healing, sort of!

This only works for Dread Vampires, but immersing a dread vampire in water deals 5 damage to it per round, however unlike the sunlight weakness it doesn't turn off their fast healing. So I take 5 damage then heal it right back.

Anyone know any mer-surgeons?

Maybe a sturgeon surgeon?

[Inevitability]

Cast animate object on the vampire's heart.

A heart is still part of the vampire's body, even if it's nonliving. You can't cast Animate Object on someone's hair, can you?