50 Strains of Vampirism

Hydra Vampire [24]

 50 Strains of Vampirism

For OSR Adventures

[1] Gothak Vampirism. Exclusive to orcs/goblins/greenskins. Their skin sheds constantly, leaving them lime green like an orc baby. They lose much of their physical strength (scary for orcs), but darkness near them is supernaturally inky and cannot be penetrated by dark vision. (also scary for orcs.)

[2] Rigorak Vampirism. Can control rigor mortis in corpses, letting them bend corpses into different poses, as mannequins, or even furniture. Hands become horribly inflexible, giving -2 to all lockpicking attempts and cannot make certain hand signs.

[3] Gnoll Vampirism. Gnoll Vampires are sometimes called 'Bouda'. Their bodies are hunched and must move on 4 legs, but their insatiable hunger lets them drive after prey for miles and imitate voices. If your Gnolls could already imitate voices, Bouda can shapeshift to look like other people too as long as they imitate their voice.

[4] Melivel Vampirism. They count all their stats as -3 modifier in the presence of anti-magical devices and spells, but can 'drink' a spellbook's ink like blood. Can cast any spell they drink once.

[5] Day-Walker Vampirism. Weak strain of vampirism that has no trouble in the sunlight, but only has one or two of the vampire powers.

[6] Feral Vampirism. The newly turned vampire, over the course of 10 years become totally feral regardless of how much blood they feed upon. Over the next few centuries they slowly morph into a bat like creature with extremely high AC and damage, an unending thirst for blood.

[7] Noble Vampirism. Vampires retain all morality upon being turned, prefer to feast on animal blood or have willing partners to donate blood to. Still treated with scorn and will probably be killed if secret is revealed to normal folk.

[8] Dust Vampirism. Instead of having thralls, these vampires creates dust wraiths to guard their tombs and hideouts. Double weakness to fire.

[9] Genetic Vampirism. Usually manifests later in life, or automatically 'replaces' any other strain of vampirism the person catches. Roll one random stat, that stat is treated as a 20 once you fully turn and are fed with blood.

[10] Merchant Vampirism. Must stop to count small objects, like beans or stones, if spread across an area they are hunting. They can also command coins and can smell gold and silver.

[11] Morakath Vampirism. This vampire grows huge scaly plates on their chest and back, granting +3 AC, but heavy and lumbering footsteps make them unable to be very sneaky.

[12] Demonic Vampirism. This vampire grows horns and can sign magic contracts with mortals. They are doubly effected by Turn Undead and holy water.

[13] Animal Vampirism. Lets certain animals, like dogs or horses, become vampires if infected. Humans cannot catch it, but can be carriers, so if you're bitten by a wolf you could accidentally give it vampirism.

[14] Righteous Vampirism. Those infected with this become devoutly religious to whatever local religion is most prominent in their area, and will constantly pray and atone for the sin of being a vampire. Anyone they drink blood from recovers from the blood loss twice as quickly as normal, and they cannot be turned like other undead.

[15] Cyclopean Vampirism. Painful first years of transformation as one eye swells to take up center of face while the other slowly shrinks and is consumed by the skull. Single unblinking eye requires a damp lair, but can see extremely far and well in the night, and gets +2 AC from projectile attacks come from directly in front of it. Horrible peripheral vision means it is easy to flank and sneak past if you keep to its sides.

[16] Wine Vampirism. Vampires must drink blood mixed with wine that is fermented in their lairs, but are extremely intelligent and can trick most people into doing what they wish.

[17] Imp-Lord Vampirism. Vampires of this are only made through dark magic. When they bite and turn someone else, they become a lowly imp instead. When the vampire lord dies, the strongest imp becomes the new Imp-Lord and rules the other vampire imps. Imps are notoriously untrustworthy and plot against their vampire master constantly.

[18] Sword Vampirism. This vampire is normally in the form of a magic sword, with +1 bonus per 100 years they have been a vampire. Can whisper to anyone holding it to feed it blood by killing people with it, which feeds the vampire. Can make the sword move or take on temporary bat/wolf form but makes them very hungry and tired. Sword is not damaged by the sun but grants no magic bonus during daylight hours.

[19] Impaler Vampire. Instead of drinking blood, this vampire needs to impale people instead, draining their life force as they slowly die. Can conjure stone spikes beneath foes as a magic attack, immune to piercing damage.

[20] Black Vampire. Skin turns black as the abyss as they age, all light hurts them but they move twice as fast in the darkness as normal vampires, they gain knowledge of black magic, and can drain your blood just by touching you.

[21] Psychic Vampire. This vampire absorbs psychic lifeforce instead of physical, meaning anyone who touches them loses all charisma bonus for a time and becomes listless and boring. Can once per night per hundred years as a vampire blast people with psychic energy, dealing 1d6 damage.

[22] Obese Vampirism. This vampire still feels the need to eat food though undead, and grows swollen with rotten food in its belly. Can eject noxious cloud of gas that stuns, paralyzes, or causes minor damage once per night.

[23] Golafan Vampirism. This vampire can hide in the 'skin' of any animal or person it touches, only to jump out at an opportune time to drink blood. Anything with the vampire hidden inside them tends to have cramps and weird pimples growing on them, hinting at the hidden vampire inside.

[24] Hydra Vampirism. Grows an extra identical head once every 100 years they've spent as a vampire. All of their heads can sprout bat wings and fly around, swooping in to drink blood. But if the body is destroyed or heart is staked all their heads will perish in a puff of flame.

[25] Undergrowth Vampirism. This vampire must live in the woods, and can move freely through plants and brush. They control armies of ticks to drink blood for them, which they mash up into bread once the tick is fat on blood. Must sleep under huge piles of fallen wood and leaves during the day. They can also weave talismans of twigs and leaves that scare people from investigating their lairs. These vampires are scared of humans and very weak in a fight.

[26] White Vampire. These vampires can only drink blood from willing sacrifices and are invisible to most people except who they were directly related to in life. Tend to keep to themselves but will try to protect their descendants using vampire powers and secret wisdom.

[27] Feline Vampire. This vampire grows cat ears, tail, and red cat eyes. Incredible agility and senses, but a dog's bark has the same effect as a Turn Undead effect on them, where the Turn Undead level is equal to the number of dogs they hear.

[28] Fog Vampires. Cannot take physical form except as a fog when weather conditions allow. Everyone within the red fog takes 1 damage every turn, but they cannot be hurt by physical means.

[29] Zommethel Vampirism. Once turned they shrink and grow huge, calloused hands. They can repair magical equipment and almost anything else but will only do so with a payment for blood. Mostly feed on rats and livestock, too busy crafting and repairing items to hunt humans.

[30] Thorny Vampirism. Painfully grows spikes all over its body, cannot wear armor or clothing. Any blood drawn by the spikes is automatically absorbed by the vampire.

[31] Clan Vampirism. Can tell when other vampires who turned them or who they turned are in danger and get +2 to all actions to aid them. When once of them dies, the others in their clan have a 1 in 6 chance to be stunned for a round from the pain.

[32] Stoic Vampirism. Once turned, these vampires cannot speak, but do not need to eat blood. They will however find a lair and slay anyone who tires to enter it like normal vampires however. They spend all their time not kill intruders sitting silently and doing nothing.

[33] Taskmaster Vampirism. Cruel vampire with long hair that can be used as a whip. Lords over weaker creatures with less HD then it has, letting them gain advantage on morale checks as he whips them to keep them obedient. If hair is cut off the vampire loses all vampire powers until it grows back, which could take decades.

[34] Ruthless Vampirism. These vampires have increased physical strength, the ability to glide, and have tough skin that grants +2 AC. They can only feed off one random person they can sense within a mile radius and must hunt them down and drink their blood before they can get a new target to feed upon.

[35] Tempest Vampirism. These vampires are immune to lightning damage and have metal fangs. They can conjure a storm with a ritual that spans 1d6 nights, and during a storm they can come out in the daytime, as long as the sun is covered up by black and roiling clouds.

[36] Toad Vampirism. Warty, can hop long distances, and has a very long tongue that sucks blood like a proboscis. They can feed off people through their windows without entering their houses, or can attack from a range with their tongue. If kissed by a beautiful person of the opposite sex, they turn into a toad permanently.

[37] Ridge Vampirism. This vampire needs to suck out bone marrow instead of blood, but is physically weak except for incredible climbing ability. Can conjure lights and create ghostly howls at night, lures and scares travelers off cliff to fall to the ground below so they can suck their broken bloody bones.

[38] Uterus Vampirism. When a fetus is somehow infected with vampirism, it dies and becomes a spirit that infects women who are impregnated, feeding off their life force while a stillborn child grows inside them. Can be cured with a few different magical methods, or by the women having sex with a priest.

[39] Puddle Vampirism. This vampire is purely a liquid, any blood spilled in it feeds the vampire. Can resist gravity and flow where it wants to, and can split up its body into many small puddles and pools. It usually sets itself up under traps, or into drinks where if it is drunk deals 1d4 damage internally to the person who drank them. In the sunlight, this liquid evaporates in seconds.

[40] Bereaved Vampirism. This vampire attends funerals, slowly draining the blood from the corpse simply by proximity, can even do this once the person is lowered into the ground and buried, but once they leave the site they cannot drink blood from a buried corpse instead. Usually pretty harmless, but if they get hungry they may start murdering people to cause more funerals.

[41] Bedbug Vampirism. Vampires that can turn into swarms of bugs. Usually invade people's houses to live in their mattresses and feed on them while they sleep. Weak to fire, and if the mattress is burned while they are in it they cannot escape.

[42] Oxalath Vamprisim. These vampires grow a few inches in height and their bones turn hard as iron, making them incredibly strong. If they fall into water they cannot swim. Cannot be hurt by bludgeoning weapons.

[43] Chromatic Vampirism. These vampires victims turn white temporarily, and they can conjure blinding rainbow lights once per night.

[44] Warden Vampirism. These vampires can only feed of the blood of poorly treated prisoners, and often capture humans to keep in cages and beat mercilessly. Whenever they are wounded they can sprout iron chains from the wound that can wrap around and disable their foes.

[45] Jingaal Vampirism. Cruel vampires skilled in dark magic. Once per night per 100 years as a vampire; they can reduce a target's maximun health by -1d6 points. If you hold a “lucky” item, like a horseshoe or rabbit foot, you get advantage on the saving throw vs magic.

[46] Frozen Vampirism. These vampires are unnaturally cold and ice forms on them when they sleep during the day in their coffins; granting them +3 AC until melted off by a fire spell. They are not actually weak to fire, but any symbol of spring like a flower or butterfly causes them to flee in panic.

[47] Leech Vampirism. Bottom half of vampire becomes a fat slug body, making them unable to go up stairs faster then a snail's pace but move faster through muck and slime. They can crush people even in plate armor and suffocate them if they get on top of them with their slug parts.

[48] Cosmic Vampirism. Vampires that come from another dimension entirely, inhabiting the bodies of dead mortals. They barely understand how our bodies move, making them very uncoordinated and unable to use weapons, but can conjure powerful elements and blasts from the stars, give you mind-shattering visions from other worlds and can teleport 10ft each round instead of their usual hobbling walk. If enough vampires of this type die at the same time, it may rip a hole big enough for something far worse to come through.

[49] Kofic Vampirism. These vampires spend the first 5 years of their undeath drinking huge amounts of blood and spewing it out in tiny, shiny round red orbs. They are too feral in the early years to keep these with them, and just leave the orbs around. These orbs are mildly magical, and are tied to the vampire's strength and life force. After 5 years they 'wake up' and must quest to find their blood orbs lest they fall into enemy hands.

[50] Tyrant Vampirism. The most potent and powerful kind of vampires; it is believed that only those who have done 3 great deeds of evil, or 666 minor deeds of evil in life can become a Tyrant Vampire, and can only be created through a special ritual performed by lesser vampires or from another Tyrant Vampire. Tyrant vampires only take 1 point of damage from non magical weapons, they can animate bodies drained of blood into husks that act like zombies, and they are treated as two HD higher for the effects of Turn Undead. Tyrant vampires are also known to control many other lesser clans and strains of vampirism to accomplish their goals.

Tyrant vampires are terrified of and cannot act against children. The giggling of children stuns them in place and the touch of a baby turns them to dust and destroys them instantly.