Wow, I really, REALLY cannot believe I'm asking this but...

[AustontheGreat1]

Okay. Let me just start by saying that this is not for me but for a girlfriend of a best-friend. My friend has finally convinced her to try out DnD for the first time. He was pretty excited about it...

...and then she tole him what she wanted to play.

A "Twilight Vampire". With sparkles and everything.

I was wondering how I might go about building that for her.

Trust me, I hate Twilight as much as the next human being (though I'm actually proud to admit that unlike most I actually know what I hate, actually having read the books.), but I value my friend and his girlfriend more than my own dignity so I want to help him.

Now I'm expecting to get numerous negative comments, but just don't post anything if it isn't at least a little constructive. Trust me, I already know...

[Boci]

Does it really need to have a mechanical affect? IIRC, the intensity of the light varied from blinding to just noticable. If its the former, then it needs some mechanics, if its the latter than apart from being noticable (+2 to diplomacy, -2 to disguise) it doesn't really need any mechanics. As for the vampire race, well first she needs to decide what her special ability is, since thats the big deciding factor. Edward for example would be most suited with a mindspy (hopefully tweaked so that it doesn't suck), and Alice could be the same concept along with the prophetic dream ability from Heroes of Horror, swhilst Jaspar could be the intimidation based fighter from Champion of Valor.

[Yora]

Like with every game, I strongly recomment making characters that fit with the setting and the party.
Without knowing anything about the campaign, there's not much help we could give.

Elans sparkle, but I assume the Twilight Vampires have some other abilities as well.

[Runestar]

I am not familiar with the abilities a twillight vampire would possess, save that they aren't adversely affected by light. Would the half-vampire template from libris mortis suffice?

[BridgeCity]

I have no idea if this would really work because I haven't looked at the mechanics, but what about some sort of fey template applied to a vampire? That possibly gives you the, lets face it, incredibly pansy feel that twilight vampires have.

As a side note, how do the rest of your gaming group feel about this? As anyone on here will tell you, copying directly from a source that other a large number of people hate with a passion is a bad idea - just try running a game with a Cloud or Sephiroth inspired character and you'll see what I mean.

If your other players are completely fine with it (either due to not caring, respecting the player etc.) then thats cool, but personally it would really ruin a game for me to have a twilight-based vampire in the party.

[Yora]

Looking up what abilities twilight vampires have, I'd say make an elan wilder or psychic warrior.

With LA +8, actual vampires are just unplayable for first time players.

[AustontheGreat1]

The abilities Twilight Vampires would possess are

1) Super Strength in the extreme (throwing large boulder's, large trees, etc)
2) Super Speed
3) Almost complete invulnerability
4) and most likely a unique psionic ability

They don't have any of the magical powers or other supernatural abilities associated with classic vampires. I personally would not use the vampire template to build it.

Elan is actually a really good idea. Maybe psionic warrior, though that kind of psionic power isn't really fitting with the flavor. Twilight flavor that is.

The group is fine with it. It will be me, friend, friend's girlfriend, and DM and we all have pretty open minds.

Lastly, I would just like to say, thank you all for being so cool. I was expecting much worse. I mean it, thanks.

[Spiryt]

3) Almost complete invulnerability

Well, players are fine with it?

It's not that D&D characters are very mortal, but they're definitely not very invulnerable.

[Boci]

Psionic warrior would fit best, that way she can have her unique psionic ability and all her other powers are just her vampire heritage at work. Just one note:

Almost complete invulnerability

This one arguably isn't really important, since compared to a commoner, any adventure above a certain level is this.

[Amiel]

What may make this idea more palatable to the other players is a continuous aura of healing, more or less due to "sparkly-ness".

[BridgeCity]

The group is fine with it. It will be me, friend, friend's girlfriend, and DM and we all have pretty open minds.

That's good to hear.

I haven't read all the twilight books but have you considered the wilder psionic class? Tones down the psychic ability a bit from psion, and has a neat sort of angry-rage cast ability that feels (to me at least) like it could be a vampire giving in and losing its composure just a bit?

Again, I haven't read all the books so I don't know if that is very fitting for twilight vampires.

Lastly, I would just like to say, thank you all for being so cool. I was expecting much worse. I mean it, thanks.

You are welcome. It really saddens me to see how many comments in threads are people just getting at the OP or being rude and unconstructive for no reason.

[AustontheGreat1]

Okay, thanks everybody. I think what I'm going to suggest to them is a half vampire elan, and I'll just let them decide on a class. If my friend doesn't manage to talk her out of it.

[kestrel404]

Elan Swordsage/Psychic Warrior/Some Prc that advances both psionics and martial maneuvers (perhaps a variant Jade Phoenix Mage?)

[Zaq]

Nitpick: Elans don't sparkle. Maenads, from the same source, sparkle.

[druid91]

Nitpick: Elans don't sparkle. Maenads, from the same source, sparkle.

Thank you. If an elan is sparkling it means they are about to disintegrate you for impertinence you whippersnapper.

As for twilight vampires, Why not hijack the DR feat from bleach d20? That and hidden talent(Possibly modified) along with some Barbarian/fighter. Or if fighter is unpalatable warblade. Or you could just do some homebrew and graft something like the hollows hierro progression on the fighter so she has some inherent damage reduction.

[Roderick_BR]

I assume the best thing to do it actually tell her that in this game, you guys play adventurers like in the Lord of the Rings, and vampires, any kind, are usually not allowed for players, except some advanced sessions, and it would be better if she played a few games as just human (elf, dwarf, etc) first, to understand the rules well.

Seriously, I really dislike people that want to start up a game they never played with over the top thing. Learn to walk before running, people.

[Lev]

What's the level cap?

Sounds like a celestial bloodline vampire to me.

[the Riddler]

Okay. Let me just start by saying that this is not for me but for a girlfriend of a best-friend. My friend has finally convinced her to try out DnD for the first time. He was pretty excited about it...

...and then she tole him what she wanted to play.

A "Twilight Vampire". With sparkles and everything.

"So you want to play a Twilight Vampire? Here, have my Vampire: the Masquerade rulebook, go for either Brujah or Toreador. Sparkles? Let me check, did you take the Common Sense merit? No? Well then, sure, by all means, do try going out in the sun."

...That's pretty much what I'd go for if anyone ever asked me something like that, girlfriends-of-best-friends included

[dsmiles]

That horrible abomination of all that is vampiric could be a deathless with the nimbus of light feat (both from BoED).

[Maryring]

Why how dare you suggest that someone wants to play a Twilight Vampire, even worse admitting to read it. You yattayattayattayatta.

Now, with that out of the way, if you're going the psychic warrior route, I suggest the powers.

1st level
Biofeedback
Bite of the Wolf
Burst
Catfall
Thicken Skin
Vigor

2nd level
Animal Affinity
Body adjustment

3rd level
Claws of the vampire
Dimension slide
Evade burst
Vampiric blade

4th level
Dimension door psionic
Immovability
Inertia Barrier

5th level
Psychofeedback

Reflavour a few of them, such as the teleporting into being superspeed and you should be good to go I'd say. Good luck.

[Flickerdart]

Can Elans be half-vampire? IIRC it's humanoid or monstrous humanoid only, and Elans are aberrations.

[Starbuck_II]

The only race in D&D that sparkles is the Maenad.

So a 1/2 vampire Maenad or full should work.

[Darrin]

The only race in D&D that sparkles is the Maenad.

So a 1/2 vampire Maenad or full should work.

The half-vampire template is only LA +2 (Libris Mortis), and is a little easier to deal with from a balance perspective. Might be easier to sell her on the half-vampire, telling her that a full vampire would be too powerful compared to the other players. Tell her she can work up to becoming a full vampire as part of her character story, and she gets to roleplay that out as the campaign progresses. Introduce a vampire NPC as her "sire"/mentor, who tells her she has to prove she's worthy of becoming a full vampire. That gives you a little bit of a carrot/stick, he can give her certain tasks to perform (to move the plot along) or get all angstified if she goes too far off the rails.

[Dalek-K]

If you want the "sparkle" effect then have the character "cursed" with faerie fire the whole time. Make it so the character thinks its a class feature and not a curse and there you go.

As for actual class.... You might be better off making your own rather than basing it off something already out there

[Grommen]

Okay. Let me just start by saying that this is not for me but for a girlfriend of a best-friend. My friend has finally convinced her to try out DnD for the first time. He was pretty excited about it...

...and then she tole him what she wanted to play.

A "Twilight Vampire". With sparkles and everything.

I was wondering how I might go about building that for her.

Trust me, I hate Twilight as much as the next human being (though I'm actually proud to admit that unlike most I actually know what I hate, actually having read the books.), but I value my friend and his girlfriend more than my own dignity so I want to help him.

Now I'm expecting to get numerous negative comments, but just don't post anything if it isn't at least a little constructive. Trust me, I already know...

I got nutten for ya bro. Just wanted to say your a better DM than I. Cause I would have allowed the character to sparkle, and then went about beating the sparkles out of the character first adventure

Hopefully it all goes well. DIM HOOOOOOOO!

[Psyren]

Elans sparkle, but I assume the Twilight Vampires have some other abilities as well.

I think you mean Maenads.

Actually, that's not a bad place to start.

[opticalshadow]

well if a player asked me if they could make a twilight vamp id ask them if they mind closing the door on their way out. if you wanted a butt easy way of doing it, just let them sparkle and have all the penalties associated with that, poor hide ability, poor disquise ability etc.

as far as otehr abilities go? i wouldnt personally do anythign for them, when your trying to make a complicated character (of which a half vamp is already fast becoming) you need to know how to play the game, and adding extra effects from a movie isnt helping. for example, how do all the churches who are lawfully or chaoticlly good going to feel about vampires? what about the partys cleric? you dont just get to say, "its ok guys im a good vampire" there going to have to have a good explination for every encounter that someone finds out their half vampire, and sparkeling is going to make it obvious somethings off.

[Warlawk]

The sparkle is a purely visual effect. There's no need to represent it by anything within the game.

Best approach would be to let her know that vampires are too powerful to fit into the game. She will be a young vamp or something, weaker than those she is used to reading. Be sure she understands that right out of the gates so she isn't expecting to be as powerful as the ones she has been reading about. Depending if she wants a fighter type or mage type pick one of the psionic classes and just reflavor the abilities. They are not psychic powers so much as just calling on her vampiric heritage. Offensive/defensive precognition could be calling on speed as well as picking up surface thoughts, that sort of thing.

The race mechanics do not have to match the race name. A key point most people forget. Take an elan, deduct one from the racial PP bonus and suddenly you have a vampire who never needs to eat and can call upon vampiric heritage to shrug off an attack.

[true_shinken]

The sparkle is a purely visual effect. There's no need to represent it by anything within the game.

Actually, it is a disadvantage. No being invisible under an open sky could kill you.

TwilightVampire: 'OK, I'm invisible'
EnemyCleric: 'Daylight. Now you are not.'

You could perhaps do it as a flaw?

The race mechanics do not have to match the race name. A key point most people forget. Take an elan, deduct one from the racial PP bonus and suddenly you have a vampire who never needs to eat and can call upon vampiric heritage to shrug off an attack.

If it does not drink blood, then it's not a vampire is it?

[Dr.Epic]

You could just tell them no: you don't feel like it, you hate Twilight, and there's already a vampire template. Yeah, I know this isn't constructive, but still you could always just say go with the vampire template. I mean it sounds like you don't want to do this and just telling them to go with the vampire template minus the who sun kills you thing is the best choice.