Characteristics
A vampire is a being from folklore who subsists by feeding on the life essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living.
They tend to be paler than in life, don't usually need to breathe except to speak, and their skin is cool to the touch. Their appearance is as varied as other races, and helps them blend in with those they hunt.
A vampire's nervous system is similar to humans and has proven to be their Achilles' heel, as injuries to the spinal cord and brain can be devastating for them. While a vampire's spinal cord and nerves work as before transformation, a number of changes take place in the brain, and that altered brain chemistry goes a long way toward understanding vampiric behavior.
Powerful sense organs give vampires an advantage in both hunting and eluding capture.
Sneaking up on them is virtually impossible, as they are aware of your presence long before you are aware of theirs.
In vampires, the iris in each eye becomes hyper dilated, giving them what appear to be black eyes. In addition, the retina now reflects more light into the rod cells, causing the eyes to shimmer in the dark. While all this gives vampires excellent night vision, it has adverse affects in daylight.
Both senses are extremely acute: hearing range is tripled while smell is tenfold.
Physical Enhancements:
Vampires do not age. They have superhuman strength and speed; night vision; no need to breathe; great endurance; and rapid healing. The exact extent of their physical prowess varies by age and individual. Some Vampires can digest normal food just like humans. However, a vampire would not gain much, if any benefit from eating.
Mystical Abilities:
Particular abilities vary even more than physical ones. Common traits might include the ability to charm or mesmerize; induce sleepiness; read minds or emotions; affect human memory.( With Players OOC permission only please) Other powers may include the ability to influence or control animals; to levitate or fly; to change shapes; influence weather; or perform other innate magics.
Animal Affinity:
Most of our native animals have no real fear of vampires, some will avoid a vampire that crosses their path based on scent or experience, but since the majority of vampires hunt humans and other races ,Seamaide's animals may be more curious than cautious but not prone to attack unless they feel threatened.
Mortal Aura
While in Seamaide's Lands, most vampires do not give off a vampiric aura for others to detect. Vampires after all are one of the few predators made to hunt humans and part of the natural order of things as far as the goddess is concerned. This makes it possible for a vampire to pose as a human and fool even other vampires.
Vampire Disadvantage
Blood Need:
All vampires need the blood of the living, though the amount and kind of blood required may vary depending on bloodline and age. Some vampires can survive in whole or part on animal blood; some cannot, but all need blood of some kind to some extent. Vampires who have not fed recently may become irrational, scaling up to frenzied, as their need grows. They may become possessive regarding those they regard as 'theirs' or upon whom they have fixed as their victims.
Night-bound:
Vampires are nocturnal. They are weakened by day and find sunlight dazzlingly bright to their night-attuned eyes. Extended exposure to the sun may cause actual physical damage. They will be sleepy during the day and not at their most alert and their preternatural powers may be unreliable, weaker, or entirely unavailable during the day.
Other Physical Weaknesses:
Vampires, not being alive, cannot sire or bear children. They may have other weaknesses such as enhanced damage from fire, or susceptibility / allergies to substances such as silver or garlic, or be repelled by hawthorn or roses.
Mystical Weaknesses:
As undead, vampires are subject to being affected or even controlled by necromancers. They may also be subject to control by older vampires, especially of the same bloodline. Some may require 'lifeforce' of their victims as well as blood. They may have difficulty or inability in crossing running water, an overwhelming need to stop and count small scattered objects, or lack a shadow or a reflection in a mirror. Some may be adversely affected by holy objects/ holy ground/ clerics of certain gods; they may gain no benefit from or even suffer damage from normal healing spells.
Gradual Turning:
Vampires cannot sire people in the same way in Seamaide that many of other vampires do.
Turning a human requires a visitation each night - whereupon blood is exchanged - for an entire week.
During this time, the potential childe becomes increasingly feverish, and vampiric in appearance. They are in a very real danger of dying before the turning is complete.Other races, depending on type may take longer or shorter amounts of time * this is with player permission and must be worked out before hand.
Vampiric Scarring
Vampire wounds heal as normal, but if it's a deep wound and the vampire has not fed recently it can leave behind a scar that never heals.
BLOOD and FEEDING:
When vampires feed on other beings more than once, they may gain influence over that being, ranging from a sense of that being's emotions or location, to true mind control, and strengthening any previous mental influence they had.
***Note that between PCs the extent of such influence, if any, needs to be worked out between the players involved.
In no case does drinking someone's blood (or anything else!) ever allow godmodding them without their permission.
Vampires can feed on other vampires, but while the blood of other vampires may stave off the need for a time but it is not a satisfactory substitute for living blood. In addition, it is possible to gain influence over another vampire by feeding on them or being fed upon, but the strength and extent of such influence is highly unpredictable, especially between different bloodlines.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Vampiric strengths and weakness can vary widely - no character will have all of them!
Also, no player may possess unique fictional/mythological items or backgrounds without prior Sim Keeper approval!
Please use common sense and remember that an interesting personality is more important to fun role-play than legendary powers or artifacts.
Please check with the Sim Keepers for prior approval of a vampire whose characteristic do not fall within these broad guidelines, as per our regular rules relating to unusual kinds of player characters .
