What are the Vampyre?

Given that the character exist in a world where the Vampyre plague has been rampant for fifty years, it can be generally assumed that they have a fairly comprehensive understanding of what the infected are, and how the plague functions. This section has been put in place to briefly cover this topic.

First and foremost, vampyres are not undead creatures. They are infected by the vampyre plague. The plague, once haven completely overtaken an infected creature, begins several physiological and psychological changes to the infected creature. A vampyre becomes a faster and stronger.

A vampyre, unlike traditional “vampries” are almost a mix in personal between pop culture vampires and zombies. While they indeed sustain themselves off of the blood of living creatures, their mental capacity and drive are more related to zombies. They don’t have specific sentient thought or recollection of their “past lives”, they can be very intelligent, cunning and devious. Some Vampyres hunt alone, others for groups called dens that can consist of from a few to several dozen. Dens always have an alpha Vampyre.

Like traditional vampires, vampyres have fangs. These fangs are syringe-like, and allow the vampyre to penetrate the flesh of their prey, and literally suck the blood out of them. Vampyres are extremely vulnerable to natural sunlight (magical/artificial light does not effect them in the same way). A Vampyre exposed to natural sunlight is dealt 1d4 points of damage/round exposed. After three rounds, they burst into flames and receive an additional 1d6 points of fire damage per round. If a vampyre reaches -10 hit points as a result of natural sunlight they are incinerated and, in a fiery burst, are reduced to dust.

Non-sentient creatures can also be infected, though only mammals seem to be affected. And, most animals seem to have an unnatural ability to sense the nearby presence of a vampyre (+10 to spot, search, listen for animals when related to “sensing” a vampyre.

The Infected

Whenever a creature is successfully bitten by a vampyre, there is a 25% chance that the infection will be passed to them. The infection doesn’t immediately have any affects, but can be detected by a constant “flu-like” feeling (-4 to Con for 2d4 days). Once infected, there is no known cure, and existing methods of curing diseases are ineffective. There are no other effects of the infection until the character becomes weakened (0 or fewer hit points). When an infected creature becomes weakened, there is a 1% chance that they are overcome by the plague and immediately turn into a vampyre. Each time the infected character becomes weakened this percentage of chance is increased by 1%.

What if my character becomes infected and turned?

You will relinquish your character sheet to the DM. As a vampyre, your character has lost all recollection of themselves and has now become a mindless blood thirsty predator. Roll up a new character.

Facts Known About Vampyres

• Vampires seem move at roughly double the rate that their original form would have been capable of moving.

• Vampires are at least twice as physically strong as their original form was.

• Vampires have an unnatural ability to “notice” and “sense direction” of living creatures. This is increased even further if the target is bleeding. They are drawn to fresh, warm blood.

• Vampires have dark vision, lowlight vision, and improved long-distance sight.

• Once turned, Vampyres seem to halt the aging process, and though they have an insatiable hunger for the blood of the living, they can survive indefinitely without feeding – only driving further their wrath and rage when they finally do come into contact with a living creature.

• Vampyres retain the ability to mate, and their offspring are born uninfected and healthy. Though, they have no natural drive to reproduce, and even if they did their offspring would surely be immediately devoured. (Note: It’s probably best not to ask how this fact was uncovered).

• Call of the Damned — Vampyres have know obvious means of intelligent communication, even amongst themselves, but do often resort to primal screams, wraps, growls, or grunts, which can alert other nearby vampyres.

• Vampyres can feel pain. They do have emotions, though completely uncontrolled, and usually tainted by an illogical anger, rage and wrath. Their blodthurst will always override any emotional response, and they rarely flee and encounter.

• Vampyres have an accelerated ability to heal/recover. They recover from wounds about four times as fast as their non-infected counterparts.