Vampire Lord Template | EN World Tabletop RPG News & Reviews

Hello all,

The Vampire Lord template comes from the WoTC site which I think has some neat stuff that needs to be updated, so I started with this one.

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VAMPIRE LORD (Template)

Among the world of those who hunt the walking dead, there exist legends of vampires so ancient and so terrible that their power grows beyond that of the normal breed. These myths give such creatures many names, but they are generally known as: a vampire lord. Exceedingly rare, vampire lords are hardly ever seen or even recognized, for they posses little of the weaknesses known so well of their lesser brethren. They move among the mortal races, ever gaining power and influence in which to control those around them. Combined with their incredible power, they are the undisputed leaders of the vampire world.

In order to become a vampire lord, a candidate must first exist as a regular vampire for over 500 years. Once this required age is met, the candidate must then create the maximum number of vampire slaves possible (usually twice the candidate’s hit dice). Only full blooded vampires may be counted for this requirement, vampire spawn that are created are not.

A typical vampire lord concerns itself with controlling its territory (often from behind the scenes). The acquisition of wealth and opulence is second only to its desire to ever increase its power base. Vampire lords are usually brilliant masterminds with domineering personalities and are wholly arrogant. A vampire lord usually has a large host of undead servants that are headed up by their own personal vampire slaves. Their sense of superiority prohibits them from voluntarily serving under another, even another vampire lord, and though alliances can be made they are usually short lived due to treachery. Even if completely isolated, their considerable strengths and few weaknesses make them dangerous combatants.

Before using any of their unique capabilities, a vampire lord seems to be nothing more than a regular vampire, albeit, one that possesses a bit more cunning and perhaps a slightly keener, more feral look. Legends say that there exist vampire lords so old that they have lost even more of their mortal look, becoming inhumanly gaunt and monstrous in appearance. However, because of its Alternate Form ability (see below), a vampire lord can choose to appear as it did in life and usually does so to hide in the presence of those who do not know its true nature.

Vampire lords speak any languages they knew in life or learned as a vampire.

Creating a Vampire Lord

Vampire lord is a template that can be applied to any humanoid or monstrous humanoid creature that has already had the vampire template applied to it (hereafter referred to as the "base vampire"). The creature uses all the special abilities of the base vampire, except as noted below.

Hit Dice: Same as base vampire, then add +1 hit point per level or HD of the base vampire

Speed: Same as base vampire, plus vampire lords can fly with speed 50 ft. and perfect maneuverability.

AC: The base vampire's natural armor bonus improves by +6.

Attacks: Same as base vampire.

Special Attacks: A vampire lord retains all the special abilities of the base vampire, except as modified below, and also gains those noted below. The saving throw, where applicable, is 10 + 1/2 the vampire lord's HD + the vampire lord's Charisma modifier, unless noted otherwise.

Domination (Su): As base vampire, except that a vampire lord can do this either by gaze or voice. It does not require line of sight to the target, but the target must be able to hear the vampire lord's voice when it speaks at a normal volume level.

Energy Drain (Su): As base vampire, but a living creature hit by a vampire lord's slam attack takes 3 negative levels.

Blood Drain (Su): As base vampire, but a vampire lord's blood drain inflicts 1d4+2 points of Constitution drain each round the pin is maintained.

Special Qualities: The vampire lord retains all the special qualities of the base vampire, except as modified below, and gains those listed below.

Alternate Form (Su): A vampire lord can assume the form of any animal, as the druid ability wild shape used by a 12th-level druid. The vampire lord can use this power at will as a move-equivalent action. The vampire lord can change from one animal shape to another without having to revert to its humanoid form. In addition, the vampire lord can transform to look exactly like it did when alive and in the peak of health, losing the pale, hardened, almost feral look of the vampire and general pallor of undeath. The vampire lord can keep this form indefinitely and it cannot be dispelled although a true seeing spell or ability reveals its natural form. A vampire lord may not take this form when regenerating in its place of rest and it reverts to its natural form when destroyed or successfully turned.

Children of the Night (Su): As base vampire, but the creatures summoned forth serve the vampire lord until released. Further, the vampire lord can sense through the senses of any such commanded creatures, and communicate empathically with them, to a range of 10 miles.

Control Weather (Sp): A vampire lord can cast either control weather or fog cloud as a 12th-level sorcerer at will.

Create Spawn (Su): As base vampire, but vampire lords create only vampire slaves, never vampire spawn. The new vampire is enslaved to the vampire lord until its master's death, and the willpower of the vampire lord is too strong to allow it to break free of its enslavement.

Damage Reduction (Ex): A vampire lord is extremely tough; it has damage reduction 15/good and silver and magic.

Fast Healing (Ex): As base vampire, but a vampire lord heals 10 hit points each round so long as it has at least 1 hit point. It has 24 hours to reach a place of rest (rather than 2 hours) if brought to zero hit points.

Telekinesis (Su): A vampire lord can use telekinesis (caster level 12th) at will.

Telepathy (Su): A vampire lord can communicate telepathically with any living creature within 100 feet that has a language, and with any vampire under its direct control to a range of 1 mile.

Turn Resistance (Ex): As base vampire + 6

Saves: Same as the base vampire, plus the vampire lord applies its Charisma modifier to all saving throws in addition to its other ability modifiers (as a paladin does).

Abilities: Increase from the base vampire as follows: Str + 6, Dex + 4, Int + 2, Wis + 2, Cha + 6. As undead creatures, vampire lords have no Constitution scores.

Skills: A vampire lord receives an additional + 8 racial bonus to Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Sense Motive checks.

Feats: Vampire lords gain Iron Will and Leadership as bonus feats, assuming the base vampire does not already have these feats. (The Vampire Lord may substitute the Leadership feat for the Undead Leadership feat, detailed in Libris Mortis if desired).

Climate/Terrain: Any land or underground

Organization: Solitary (plus cohort and followers gained by Leadership feat, plus any vampire slaves)

Challenge Rating: Same as base vampire + 3

Treasure: Quadruple standard

Alignment: Always Evil (any).

Advancement: By character class

Vampire Lord Weaknesses

Vampire lords have far fewer weaknesses than normal vampires, a benefit of their quest for power.

Vampire lords cannot be repelled by garlic or holy symbols, though they can be turned. Mere presentation of a holy symbol has no effect. They have no fear of mirrors, though they still cast no reflection or shadow.

Vampire lords can cross over or through running water with no impediments. They are not harmed in any way by immersion in running water.

A vampire lord can still be killed outright by a wooden stake driven through its heart, but only if the stake has been blessed and enchanted to overcome the vampire lord’s damage reduction (silver inlay upon the stake is enough to bypass the silver portion and follows the same rules for making a silver weapon despite that it is still primarily wood). As with normal vampires, the vampire lord instantly returns to unlife if the stake is ever removed though this occurs even if the body is destroyed.

A vampire lord is not as vulnerable to sunlight as a normal vampire, and can go about in broad daylight if it desires. Under sunlight, it takes a -4 penalty to all ability scores and on all attacks, saves, and skill checks. Also, a vampire lord in sunlight cannot use any of its supernatural powers. Victims of its domination power are not freed of the vampire lord's control during daylight hours; the vampire lord can verbally command any creature in its thrall even in direct sunlight. A vampire lord is not considered vulnerable in terms of spells that produce sunlight effects (such as Sunbeam, although it is still considered to be undead). Only direct light from the sun can weaken it. If the vampire lord is brought down to 0 hit points while exposed to direct sunlight, it appears to be immediately destroyed. However, as soon as the sun sets it reappears in gaseous form at the exact spot of its “destruction” and attempts to return to its coffin to regenerate normally. The only way sunlight can truly destroy a vampire lord is if the creature is exposed while it is still regenerating in its place of rest.

The only other way to make sure that a vampire lord does not return is to cut its head from its body and burn it within a consecrated flame. Next the ashes must be immersed in holy water and then placed in a specially blessed urn that then must be buried on consecrated ground at which point the vampire lord will truly be destroyed. If even a single ash from the burning of the head escapes this treatment, the essence of the vampire lord will survive and regenerate itself completely in one weeks time.

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Truth be told, it's only about 95% finished since I'm undecided on a few factors and was
hoping the experts here could help me out.

Basically, the big thing is if the CR adjustment still seems right. The tweaks I made from the WoTC original make a vampire lord easier to kill so I increased some of the bonuses it got. Specifically its bonus to Cha, its fast healing and its turn resistance. I also played with its DR rather than do a straight conversion.

The last little thing I want to put out is this: do you think that a vampire lord should have
the same "need to be invited inside" restriction that a regular vampire does? What about the whole "needs to sleep in a coffin filled with its homeland earth" deal?

Thanks for your help!

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