Nosgoth Campaign Setting stuff

[Prak]

Time for this to have it's own thread.

So far this is what I'm looking at for "basic" Nosgothian vampires, feedback would be appreciated:

Nosgothian Vampire, Fledgling

• +4 Str, +4 Dex. Vampires are both stronger and more agile than the average human.
• Undead (Unliving, Darkminded)
• Size: As base creature (pretty much always medium in Nosgoth anyway.)
• Speed: As base creature
• 2 Racial HD: 2d12 HD, +1 BAB, +3 Will, one feat, 5(4+Int mod) skill points.
• Bite (1d6) and 2 claws (1d4)
• Blood Drain: A vampire can suck blood from a living victim with its fangs by making a successful grapple check. If it pins the foe, it drains blood, dealing 1d4 points of Constitution damage each round the pin is maintained. Each point of con damage dealt gives the vampire 1 blood point, to a max of 3(Character Level), and heals the vampire 1d4 points. Vampires automatically spend 1 blood point per 2 character levels each day at dusk to maintain their body.
• Fast Healing 2: A vampire can spend blood points to activate fast healing as a free action. Each point spent allows 2 rounds of fast healing. This ability automatically activates if the vampire is reduced to 0 hp but not destroyed.
• Unliving Resilience: A vampire can only be truly destroyed through destruction or removal of the head, heart or soul, or complete eradication of the body. Impalement through the head or heart will render a vampire inert and functionally dead, but if the instrument is removed, the vampire will be returned to his "living" state, albeit at 0 hp, and his fast healing will automatically trigger, so long as he has at least 1 blood point.
• Sire's Gift: A fledgling vampire possesses the dark gift of his sire, but does not evolve it's own gifts. Some sires possess and confer additional weaknesses also.
• Water Vulnerability: Water (of any kind) burns vampiric flesh like strong acid. Water that a vampire is exposed to acts exactly like a like amount of acid.
• Sunlight Vulnerability: Each round during which a vampire is exposed to sunlight deals 1d6 fire damage, and ignites their flesh.
• Combustible: Vampires are easily immolated, when burned by fire, the flames linger until extinguished and deal 1d6 points of fire damage per round.

Sire Gifts

• Melchiah: Phase through barriers which provide partial cover or less. Increased Sunlight Vulnerability, even the heavily filtered sunlight prevalent over much of Nosgoth is sufficient to burn Melchiahim, and even adults suffer this weakness.
• Zephon: Climb 40', create webs as a giant spider.
• Dumah: +5 Natural Armour, Tongue Attack (1d4 damage, drain blood, 10' reach)
• Rahab: Immune to water, Swim 40'. Increased Sunlight Vulnerability, even the heavily filtered sunlight prevalent over much of Nosgoth is sufficient to burn Melchiahim, and even adults suffer this weakness.
• Turel: Telekinesis at will, Caster Level equal to Character Level, Blindsense. Turelim are blind, like their sire.
• Raziel*: Fly 60' (average)

*Assumes a time line in which Raziel was not cast into the vortex.

[Prak]

Nosgothian Vampire, Adult

Prerequisites
Max Blood Pool Capacity: 18+


HD: 1d12
BAB: Full
Saves: Good Will
Skill Points: 4+Int Mod
Class Skills: Bluff, Hide, Knowledge (Arcana), Listen, Move Silently, Search, Sense Motive, Spellcraft, Spot

Code: Select all

Level Special
  1   Greater Sire's Gift, Enhanced Resilience
  2   .
  3   .

Greater Sire's Gift Upon entering this class, a fledgling vampire goes into a period of hibernation, during which it evolves, the powers granted it by its sire growing. The fledgling gains the indicated power as below, based on their sire:

• Melchiah: Burrow 60', Tremoursense. When charging by burrowing, the Melchiahim gains a +4 bonus to attack (instead of the normal +2) and its opponent loses it's dexterity to its armour class.
• Zephon: Climb 60', Can lay "eggs" which can later be thrown to explode on contact. Laying eggs is done in clutches of up to ten, each clutch requiring ten minutes and three blood points per egg. one egg is about the size of a human fist, and weighs eight ounces. The explosion deals 1d6 fire damage per two character levels.
• Dumah: Natural Armour increases to +8, Powerful Build, Slam attack. Claw and Slam attacks do damage as if one size larger.
• Rahab: Swim 60', Hydrokinesis: May fire projectiles of conjured water dealing 1d6 cold damage per two character levels. Each projectile fired drains three blood points from the vampire's blood pool.
• Turel: +6 Strength, When charging, Turelim gain +4 to their attack instead of the usual +2.
• Raziel: The Razielim manifests a blade of spectral energy that is bound to their right arm. It can be dismissed and summoned at will, as a free action. Summoning the blade costs two blood points, and allows it to exist for three rounds, after which, two more may be spent to extend it's manifestation. The blade's manifestation can be extended this way until the vampire dismisses it or the vampire runs out of blood points. The blade can be sundered, but can be reformed on the Razielim's next turn at no extra expense.

Enhanced Resilience An adult vampire is, save two exceptions, no longer vulnerable to sunlight, in addition, their fast healing increases to 5 and will function for three rounds per blood point spent.




How's this look so far? At some point they'll evolve their own power, chosen from a list of classic vampire stuff, I'm not entirely sure how I'll work that, exactly, as, flavour wise, they need to hibernate again. Also I want make some vampiric abilities into feats, possibly stealing some Fiend feats, since they're displayed as vampire powers in the series (large/huge size, conditional invisibility, etc.)

[CatharzGodfoot]

Are you sure that you want to make blood drain drain[/i] and not damage?

[Prak]

Are you sure that you want to make blood drain drain[/i] and not damage?

That's actually copypasta from the SRD, I think, let me take a look at the difference.

...let me change that... jeezus...

Also added 1d4 healing when a vampire deals a point of con damage, made the maintenance cost 1 point per 2 character levels, and specified the maintenance cost is paid at dusk.

Should/Could a vampire conceivably avoid paying that cost by being somewhere that doesn't have dusk? Like shifting to Limbo or the Astral Plane for an hour or so to avoid paying at dusk?

[Prak]

Figured I'd post the Mcguffin of the series over here, see what people think. It's fairly straight forward in abilities, especially compared to other items we commonly see on this site.

The Blood/Soul Reaver
The Blood Reaver was a sword crafted from unknown materials by Vorador for use by the champion of the vampire race. It is a flamberge with a vampire skull style hilt that stands roughly as tall as a man*. The blade itself is capable of draining an enemy's blood, with every slash that opens a wound hungrily drawing the sprayed blood directly into the blade. The Blood Reaver is a +4 Wounding Greatsword that deals 1d4 Con damage on a successful critical hit (instead of the wounding damage).
When the wraith Raziel slew his past human self with the Blood Reaver. Upon slaying the Sarafan knight, Raziel's parasitic wraith blade was freed from Mobius' suppression and entered it's physical twin. The blade then turned and impaled it's wielder, absorbing the wraith's soul and revealing it's true nature while becoming the Soul Reaver. The Soul Reaver holds within itself a soul devouring entity which is revealed to be the wraith Raziel. The Soul Reaver no longer drains the blood of it's enemies, but now drains and devours their souls. The Soul Reaver is +4 Eager Greatsword which devours it's opponent's soul upon death/destruction. On a natural 20, after the roll to confirm the critical, the Soul Reaver automatically devours the target's soul, much like a vorpal sword and decapitation. Unlike the vorpal enhancement, the Soul Reaver's special ability functions on any creature with a spiritual component, including single natured creatures such as outsiders. Once the Soul Reaver has devoured a creature's soul, the creature's soul is destroyed and the creature cannot be raised, resurrected, etc except through powerful reality altering magic.


*A LoK wiki says 50", but in the games it's actually taller than Kain and Raziel, by a fair amount too, so unless nosgoth is a world full of midgets...

Pretty much everything in Nosgoth has a spiritual component, even undead. The only thing I can think of off the top of my head which wouldn't is an animated object.

Another McGuffin:
The Heart of Darkness
This large, black heart was torn from the chest of the ancient vampire Janos Audron. It still beats, despite it's unincorporated state and the death of it's original owner. It will not decompose, and does not putrify. If placed into a human corpse, the corpse will rise as a vampire. The heart can also resurrect a slain vampire, provided a mostly complete corpse.

[CatharzGodfoot]

Should/Could a vampire conceivably avoid paying that cost by being somewhere that doesn't have dusk? Like shifting to Limbo or the Astral Plane for an hour or so to avoid paying at dusk?

Nobody has to eat (or even ages) on the astral plane, so that would make sense.

[Prak]

Should/Could a vampire conceivably avoid paying that cost by being somewhere that doesn't have dusk? Like shifting to Limbo or the Astral Plane for an hour or so to avoid paying at dusk?

Nobody has to eat (or even ages) on the astral plane, so that would make sense.

Ok, and plus it's not like the maintenance cost is really even a big deal, it was basically added for flavour...