Vampires

It is centuries since the Vampire Counts of Sylvania waged war upon the Empire, when hordes of Zombies poured through the streets of Waldenhof and Skeleton legions plagued the lands between Wurtbad and Bechafen on the Northern Marches. In the terrible battle of Hel Fenn the last Vampire Count of Sylvania, Mannfred von Carstein, was slain by the combined forces of two Empire provinces. The Empire thought the threat of the Vampires was over.

Years later, two adventurers discovered Mannfred, alive, but weak, resting once again within the walls of his fortress in Sylvania. They failed to destroy the Vampire Count, and no one believed their story in the vast cities of the Empire that a von Carstein yet lived. Thus, the Vampire was left to his own devices to regain the power he once held. Mannfred dreamed of the old days, when the Vampire aristocracy of the night ruled the lands of Sylvania. He began to summon his Undead allies to him. Soon, Zombies roamed the forests and swamps around his keep, Ghouls scuttled in the courtyard, Carrion rested in rotting coops prepared by Zombie servitors, and the greatest of his allies, Vampires came in the dozens to serve a master who could pull them out of their slumhood existence and allow them to rule with dignity once more.

Mannfred appointed tasks to his Vampire allies. Some were to raise small but powerful armies and scour the countryside in search of human cattle to devour. Others were to venture out into the world as spies or to venture into the deepest dungeons in search of powerful artefacts which could aid their cause. Some of these Vampires even resorted to joining bands of adventurers in their search for power. The Vampire adventurer is one such Vampire.

•STARTING AS A VAMPIRE•

Most Vampires summoned by Mannfred are by far weaker than their subterranean cousins who have managed to prosper beneath the earth. Indeed, some Vampires has been reduced to a state almost as bloodthirsty as a Ghoul. These Vampires are called Carouche (Car-oosh). A player starting as a Vampire begins as a Carouche and suffers from an overwhelming bloodlust which he must keep in check.

A Vampire begins the game with 4D6 Wounds. Unlike other Warriors, none of these dice can be rerolled. This represents the Vampire's weakened state, or in some cases, if the roll is good, his supernatural psyche and power.

•BLOODLUST•

A Vampire begins the game with the Blood Lust disadvantage. The Vampire has an almost uncontrollable urge for sweet tasting blood early in his career. This urge is usually controlled as he goes up in Battle-Levels.

When a combat has just finished, and before the Warriors get treasure for the battle, the Vampire must try and stop his killing spree. Roll 1D6. On a roll of 1 or 2, the Vampire must immediately move towards the closest Warrior and make a single attack with his current weapon against him, in an effort to continue the blood letting. After the attack is resolved, roll another dice. If this, too, comes up with a 1 or a 2, make a further attack. Keep making attacks until the Blood Lust wears off.

If the Vampire kills his current target, he will move onto the next Warrior.

When a Vampire goes up to Battle-Level 2, he will lose this Blood Lust disadvantage. It is only a Carouche who will suffer this uncontrollable urge to kill.

•EQUIPMENT•

A Vampire can use any type of sword, be it magical or otherwise, except the Blessed Sword. If he finds this particular weapon, he must immediately lose 1D6 unmodified Wounds and give it to another Warrior.

Axes, maces and hammers will not be utilised by a Vampire, only swords.

A Vampire can not wear any armour whatsoever. It interferes with his spell casting abilities. This means he can not wear helmets, or use a shield.

Although he is a spell caster, a Vampire can not use any equipment or treasure that aids in spell casting. Wizard only treasure is out of limits. Wizard only treasure can be kept and given to Mannfred as explained below.

Finally, Vampires will not use any missile weapons at all.

•SETTLEMENTS•

Vampires, with their human appearance, have no trouble entering settlements, and have no restrictions as to what they can do. They may visit all Special Locations, excluding the Temple. While in the Alehouse, roll 2D6 for the results.

The powers of Dark Magic are strong within the confined city limits. Using this power to his advantage, a Vampire may commune with Mannfred von Carstein in his fortress in Sylvania. This is done to update Mannfred on the status of his quest and, if deemed worthy, given a promotion within the chain of command. This is the Vampire equivalent of Training.

To commune with Mannfred, roll 1D6 and roll the necessary score or above depending on where you are.

If the Vampire is in the Lost Kingdoms, subtract 2 from the roll. If in Norsca, subtract 1. A roll of 1 always fails, and a roll of 6 always succeeds.

If the Vampire is ready to be promoted, Mannfred will grant him with enough power to enhance his statistics, as shown on his Battle-Level table as normal. In addition, the Warrior may gain a few rolls on the Vampire Ability/Skill/Spell Table.

A Vampire does not have to train when he communes with Mannfred. For every 500 Gold worth of Wizard only artefacts the Warrior presents to Mannfred, he gains an instant roll on the Ability/Skill/Spell Table. These items of treasure must be discarded immediately, and no gold can be gained for them.

Only one attempt to commune with the Vampire Count is allowed per stay.

•WILDERNESS•

Vampires hate sunlight, and thus will only travel in the dead of night. To represent this during wilderness travel, use the following rules.

It is assumed that the other Warriors travel during the day, and the Vampire travels the same path during the night. Any events that require each Warrior to roll a dice, or give them a choice, etc, are treated as normal. The Warriors encounter the event during the day and the Vampire encounters the same event while walking at night. Events which require one roll as a group are made with one roll for the Warriors, and one separate roll for the Vampire, to indicate that he is travelling at a different time than the other Warriors.

•SPELLCASTING•

As Vampires go up in Battle-Levels, they may gain the ability to cast Necromantic and Dark Magic spells. Casting of these spells is done in a similar way to that of the Elf Ranger Mage, as explained below.

To cast a spell, the Vampire relies on the Winds of Magic in a similar way to the human Wizard. In the Power Phase, when the dice is rolled to determine magical power, this dice roll also indicates how easy the Vampire finds it to cast spells.

A Vampire can attempt to cast a certain number of spells each turn depending on his Battle-Level. Summon spells may only be successfully cast once per combat event, while other spells may only be successfully cast once per turn. (eg. A Vampire cannot cast Raise Zombies 4 times per turn on Battle Level 10, summoning up to 24 of each, each turn!)

•VAMPIRE ABILITIES, SPELLS AND SKILLS•

When training, or when giving magical artefacts to Mannfred, a Vampire is entitled to make rolls on the Ability/Skill/Spell Table.

To find out how many rolls the Vampire gains, see the Vampire Battle-Level Table. A Vampire gains 1 roll when he presents Mannfred with Wizard Only Artefacts.

Roll D66 on the following table. Unless stated otherwise, if the Vampire gains a skill, spell or ability he already has, roll again.

Roll D66 on the following table. Unless stated otherwise, if the Vampire gains a skill, spell or ability he already has, roll again.

11 Ability Flight

The Vampire has the ability to defy gravity. He may add +1 to his movement characteristic and may automatically break from Pinning. In addition, he will never be affected by pits and holes, and does not have to roll on any tables when rolling a 1 in the Chasm of Despair, etc.

12 Ability Transfixing Stare

The Vampire can look deeply into the eyes of his enemy and confound him with magical images in his mind. A single Monster can be hit automatically if the Warrior can roll 6 on a D6. This ability can be used once per turn. The effects of the Transfixing Stare last for one turn.

13 Spell Raise Zombies

The Vampire calls upon the powers of Nagash to summon Undead to aid the Warriors in the battle to come. The table shows the number of Zombies summoned.

Summoned Zombies are placed as evenly as possible around the Monsters. They attack and move after the Vampire has had his turn. Monsters will only attack the Zombies if there is no other Warrior to attack. The Vampire does not get gold for any Monsters killed by the Zombies. Once the battle is over, the Zombies dissolve into the ground.

14 Skill Arcane Knowledge

The Vampire has been gifted with great knowledge of the magical arts. He may immediately gain a random Wizard spell equal in Casting Cost to the Vampire's Battle-Level. This spell can be cast as normal. This skill may be gained more than once in a Vampire's career.

15 Spell Death Spasm

The Vampire may pick a single target on the same board section and send him into a agonising spasm. He suffers unmodified damage as stated on the table.

16 Skill Connoisseur

The Vampire is a lover of the finer things in life. Fine wines, food and women. He must pay 20 gold per day in every Settlement (including Villages) or else he will leave immediately.

21 Ability Regeneration

The Vampire has been gifted with the ability to heal his own Wounds. At the end of every turn, the Vampire gains 1 Wound. This ability may be gained more than once in a Vampire's career. The Vampire does not gain a Wound if he is on zero Wounds.

22 Spell The Dark Mist

This spell may be cast on the Vampire himself only. The Vampire shimmers and forms into a dark mist. All Monsters, unless they have a magical weapon, are at -1 To Hit. The Vampire may move 2D6 squares per turn instead of his usual movement. The duration is as shown on the table below.

If any Monster hits the Vampire while The Dark Mist is in effect, the spell will immediately terminate, but the Vampire will not take any Wounds for that hit.

23 Skill ShadowFast

The Vampire is so fast in combat that he is a blur to all the other Warriors. At the start of every Warrior's Phase, roll 1D6. On a roll of 4+, the Vampire can make his attacks first, regardless of initiative.

24 Ability Fangs

Sharp, poisonous fangs protrude from the Vampire's mouth. He gains an extra Attack at -1 to Hit, +1 Strength. Any Wounds caused are added to the Vampire's current total. These Wounds can not take him above his Permanent Wounds total.

25 Spell Gaze of Nagash

A Bolt of Dark Magic strikes a single Monster on the same board section as the Vampire. It damages the Monster depending on the table below.

26 Skill Reaction Strike

This skill allows the Vampire to make one single attack on any Monster as it is placed on the board next to him. This blow may not cause Death Blows. The Vampire can not use this skill if the Monster he wishes to attack has ambushed him.

31 Spell Malediction of Nagash

This spell affects Monsters depending on the following table.

Monsters chosen to be targets of this spell can not move this turn, and are at -1 on all their To Hit rolls.

32 Ability Mantle of Darkness

The Vampire has the ability to cloak himself in a shield of blackness once per Battle-Level per adventure. All Monsters are at -1 to Hit the Vampire. In addition, all Monsters are at -1 Attacks when attacking the Vampire. A Monster can never have less than 1 Attack because of the Mantle. The Mantle lasts until the start of the following Warrior's Phase.

33 Ability Cannibalism

Not only does the Vampire crave blood, but it has a fetish for flesh as well. Instead of making a Death Blow when a Monster is killed in one hit, roll 1D6. On a roll of 1 to 2, the Vampire gives up his Death Blow and any further attacks that turn to feed on the flesh of his victim. He may immediately gain 1D6 Wounds. Monsters gain +2 To Hit the Vampire during the monster's Phase. If the score is 3+, the Vampire may continue his Death Blow as usual. If this kills another Monster, make another roll, etc.

34 Spell Summon Ghouls

The Vampire calls upon the powers of Nagash to summon Undead to aid the Warriors in the battle to come. The table shows the number of Ghouls summoned.

Summoned Ghouls are placed as evenly as possible around the Monsters. They attack and move after the Vampire has had his turn. Monsters will only attack the Ghouls if there is no other Warrior to attack. The Vampire does not get gold for any Monsters killed by the Ghouls. Once the battle is over, the Ghouls flee.

35 Ability Ethereal

The Vampire has the ability to fade into a state of Etherealness. He may do this once per adventure for a set period of time. While Ethereal, he has a single Chill attack rated on the following table. He gains the usual abilities while he is Ethereal. This ability may be gained again, which means that the Vampire can become Ethereal twice per adventure, an so on.

36 Skill Parry

The Vampire has the speed to block incoming blows. Each attack that hits him he may block if he is using a sword. The dice roll needed to block is on the table below.

41 Spell Drain Life

This spell drains the life force out of nearby Monsters. Roll 1D3 for the radius of the spell. All Monsters within the radius of the spell's effect from the Vampire suffer unmodified Wounds stated on the following table if they roll less than 4 on 1D6.

Any Wounds suffered are added onto the Vampire's current total. The Vampire can not gain more Wounds than he has Permanent Wounds in this fashion.

42 Ability Pawn of Nagash

Unknown to either the Vampire or to Mannfred von Carstein, the Vampire has been an unwilling pawn in the great plans of Nagash, Supreme Lord of the Undead. Nagash has been guiding the Vampire on the road to further Nagash's own dark power. From now on, when rolling to commune with Mannfred, subtract 1 from the roll. In addition, Wizard Only artefacts must come to a total of 1000 gold in order to give the Vampire a roll on this table.

43 Ability Shape Changing

The Vampire has the power to become one of four different shapes. Upon gaining this ability, roll 1D4 on the following table.

The Vampire can change himself into a common rat at any time. When he does this, he may immediately roll on the Escape table, adding +5 to the roll. Any treasure and gold he has found this dungeon must be discarded. If he should lose any Wounds while escaping, he is automatically killed.

The Vampire can change into a large blood sucking Vampire Bat once per adventure. Each time he does so, he loses 1D6 Wounds. If this kills him, the Vampire is automatically dead, and can not be raised. While in bat form he may move 2D6 squares per turn, can see in the dark, can ignore Pinning and can ignore pits, chasms, etc. The bat has 1 Attack of 1D6 + Vampire's Strength at -1 To Hit. Any Wounds caused are added to the Vampire's total. He can not go above his maximum Wounds in this way. The Vampire can stay in this from for as long as he wishes, but does not get any gold for Monsters killed while in the form of a bat, and gets no treasure at all. Use the Vampire's usual statistics while in bat form. A Vampire can not cast spells in this form.

The Vampire can change into a huge, powerful Dire Wolf once per adventure. This costs him 2D6 Wounds. While in Wolf Form, he may move at 6 squares per turn, and has 1 Attack, doing 2D6 + Vampire's Strength damage. The Vampire can stay in this form for as long as he wishes, but gains no gold or treasure for any kills. If the Vampire takes 10 or more Wounds in one attack, the shock will force him to transform back into human form. A Vampire can not cast spells in this form.

While in smoke form, the Vampire can not be hit by any weapons other than magical ones, but he can not attack at all. He can turn into Smoke once per adventure, and can change his shape back into a Vampire at any time he wishes. If he takes 10 or more Wounds from any single attack, he will immediately revert to his humanoid form. A Vampire can not cast spells in this form.

A Vampire can not use any other spells, skills or abilities while he is shape changed, except those which he has no choice but to roll for. (Blood Lust, Cannibalism, etc).

This ability may be gained four times. If the Vampire rolls a shape he already has, he may roll again.

44 Skill Endure

This skill allows the Vampire to ignore the effects of a single blow that would have otherwise killed him. It may be used once per adventure.

45 Spell Raise Skeletons

The Vampire calls upon the powers of Nagash to summon Undead to aid the Warriors in the battle to come. The table shows the number of Skeletons summoned.

Summoned Skeletons are placed as evenly as possible around the Monsters. They attack and move after the Vampire has had his turn. Monsters will only attack the Skeletons if there is no other Warrior to attack. The Vampire does not get gold for any Monsters killed by the Skeletons. Once the battle is over, the Skeletons dissolve into the ground.

46 Ability Chaos Spawn

The power of Dark Magic warps the very fabric of the vampire's body. He may make a single roll on the Chaos Warrior's Attribute Chart (Page 9). If you do not have this Warrior Pack, roll again on this table. This ability may be gained more than once during a Vampire's career.

51 Skill Agility

The Vampire has amazing reactions and co-ordination. Once per adventure, he may dodge a single attack that he does not wish to take damage from. In addition, the Vampire gains +1 Movement. This skill may be gained more than once during a Vampire's career.

52 Spell Hand of Dust

The Vampire may cast this spell on any single adjacent Monster. Both roll 1D6 and add their Strength to the result. The Vampire also adds the following bonuses to his score.

If the Vampire gets the highest score, the Monster is immediately turned into a Wight, which may attack and move after the Vampire has his turn. If the Monster gets higher, the Vampire takes 1D6 unmodified Wounds for each of his own Battle-Levels.

Because of the power of this spell, after every casting, the Vampire loses 1D3 Wounds with no modifiers, even if the spell did not go his way.

Any Wizards who are affected by the spell are turned into Wraiths instead of Wights. After the battle, all Wights and Wraiths dissolve into the ground. The Vampire gains no gold for monsters converted into Wights or Wraiths.

The spell does not work against Large Monsters, Demonic Monsters, or Monsters which cause Terror.

53 Ability Hypnotic Gaze

The Vampire has the power to confuse and addle his opponents mind. Once per turn, the Vampire may attempt to hypnotise an adjacent Monster. Roll 1D6. On a roll of 6, the Monster loses 1D6 Attacks. This ability may be gained more than once during a Vampire's career.

54 Spell Witch Flight

This spell allows the Vampire to teleport to any square in the dungeon that has already been explored. Remember the rules for being Lost in the Dark, though. A Carouche can not cast this spell until he has gone up a Battle-Level.

55 Ability Blood Lust

The vampire suffers an uncontrollable urge to kill and to blood let. This is the same ability that a beginning Vampire starts with, and then loses. The rules for this ability can be found above. Sometimes, a Vampire may think he has got full control over his Blood Lust, but it could resurface at any time.

56 Ability Mindless

Due to the warping powers of Chaos, the Vampire has become a mindless drone. At the beginning of every Warrior's phase, roll 1D6. On a roll of 1, the Vampire enters a state of mindlessness and confusion. He may do nothing for his entire turn. Any Monsters attempting to hit him will gain a bonus of +2 to their To Hit Rolls. He has only 1 Attack, and can not any other abilities, spells, or skills.

61 Spell Vanhel's Danse Macabre

The Vampire gains a certain number of extra Attacks this turn, as stated on the table below.

62 Ability Disfigured

The Vampire suffers from a debilitating disfigurement, such as a large hump, or a twisted spine. Roll 1D6 on the following table to determine the effects of the disfigurement. (It will be most unlikely for this Vampire to ever rejoin the ranks of the Vampire Counts of Sylvania.)

A Vampire can have more than one disfigurement in the course of his career, but if ever a characteristic decrease would mean taking a characteristic to 0, re-roll this roll. A Vampire can never have a characteristic decreased to 0 by gaining this ability.

63 Spell Summon Mummies

The Vampire calls upon the powers of Nagash to summon Undead to aid the Warriors in the battle to come. The table shows the number of Mummies summoned.

Summoned Mummies are placed as evenly as possible around the Monsters. They attack and move after the Vampire has had his turn. Monsters will only attack the Mummies if there is no other Warrior to attack. The Vampire does not get gold for any Monsters killed by the Mummies. Once the battle is over, the Mummies dissolve into the ground.

64 Skill Blood Fever

This skill allows the Vampire to trade in all his Attacks each turn for a single blood-fever attack. Make a normal attack. If the Vampire hits its target and kills it with that one blow, he may step forward and, if this takes him into contact with another Monster, he may attack it as well. This process continues until the Vampire fails to kill his opponent.

65 Ability Cowardice

The hundreds of years the Vampire has spent in isolation has caused him to become fearful of the outside world. Whenever he is making a Fear or Terror test, roll 1D6. On a roll of 1 or 2, the Vampire cowers before the Monsters. He must subtract 1 from any Fear rolls he makes, and 2 from any Terror rolls he makes. In addition, he may do nothing during the first turn of combat. Any other roll indicates that he has overcome his fear this turn.

66 Spell Curse of Years

The power of this spell prevents a Carouche from casting it. He must go up a Battle-Level before he can use this spell. Roll 1D6 for each Monster on the same board section as the Vampire. If the dice scores a 6, the Monster has aged to the point of death. Remove the Monster from the board. No gold or treasure is gained for any Monsters killed in this way.

After every casting of this spell, the Vampire must lose 1D6 Wounds with no modifiers.

•REPRESENTING YOUR WARRIOR•

Citadel Vampires are few and rare. There is the Vlad von Carstein and Isabella von Carstein Blister pack, and I think there is another Vampire miniature which can be brought separately. With so few miniatures available, it is going to be hard to use a miniature for your Vampire and still have enough to use as Vampire Monsters when you reach higher Battle-Levels. There are a few Vampire miniatures that look good that I have noticed from an old Citadel Catalogue, so perhaps you could order 1 of them from the Mail Order Service. As for other companies, I know Ral Partha Ravenloft miniatures have a lot of Vampires, and if you are willing to ignore the size difference, these may be good to use. Other than this, I know of no other suitable Vampire miniatures. Shame, that.....

•ROLEPLAYING TIPS•

It's hard to describe how you should roleplay a Vampire. Since being a Vampire basically means that you were once human, it really depends on how the human acted before he was 'Brought Across' Once thing should remain certain, though. A Vampire is always evil, no matter how kind he was in life. The warping power of Dark Magic changes a person's soul.

Most Vampires are cold, cunning and malicious. The Vampire Counts of Sylvania ruled with an iron grip, torturing those who did not bow to their Undead will. A Vampire Count may seem elegant to his friends, but be warned that behind these soft, even pleasant exteriors, there is a creature of vile and evil intent.

For those wishing to make their Vampire an elegant, pleasant sort of chap, consider Vampires such as Count Dracula and Strahd von Zarovich of the Ravenloft World.

Or you could make your Vampire into a snarling, savage, cruel beast (A permanent Carouche, you might say). Consider the Vampires from the movie Dusk Till Dawn. Hoards of zombie like Vampires attacking in packs like wild animals.

These are just the most common forms of Vampires. If you can think of another way you wish to portray your Warrior, then do so. A Vampire can be portrayed however you want it to be portrayed.

•ROLEPLAY MODIFIERS•

•BATTLE LEVEL TABLE•