Post/Author/DateTime	Post
KAR 120 C 03-23-04, 08:49 AM	Who do Vampires bother to drink blood? Looking at the actual rules, they don't seem to gain any benefits from it, except for the capacity to make new vampires. Furthermore by the literal interpreatation (and what is D&D about if not literal interpretations) of the "Undead" type, they don't need to eat. Since going around drinking people's blood is just going to get you noticed, wouldn't it be more sensible to just... not?
Ceran 03-23-04, 08:52 AM	I'd say they like it. Like it gives them great pleasure and stuff.
incarnadine 03-23-04, 11:19 AM	Vampires (european) need blood to keep them in the world of the living. If the don't drink blood they wither away and eventualy are sent permanently to their apropriate after life. Popular legends also state that they can sustain themselves on the blood of cattle, wolf and bats or just about any mammal but they grow weak if they do not have blood at all. In D&D they technicly don't need any. No rules that say they will be destroyed if they do not drink blood. So if you like you can make a club for Blood Drinkers Anonymous and they can get together for coffee and muffins and say stuff like "I'm Dromnius the destroyer... and ... I ... drink blood", "I Dromnius!"
Ruinous 03-23-04, 12:02 PM	I'd also stick with the europian idea, and add in blood rage (EX) Blood Rage Vampires that dont drink blood suffer consiquenses, for every day they do not drink blood they must succeed at a will save against a DC of 10 + No. of day not feasting. If they stop drinking blood and then drink some more the DC is reduced by the nuber of days that they have drunk blood (i hope thats understandable). If they fail they suffer -1 to all mental abilities (Int, Wis, Cha) and they must also resist further will saves against the same DC (plus 2 if near open blood, +4 if near lots of blood etc.) or go in to a blood rage whenerver near living biengs, while in a blood rage they have no control and attack the nearest viable source of blood, favoring inteligent creatures if s choice occurs, while in the blood rage they seek to quench all of their blood thirst in one masive binge. If ,somehow , the vampires int, wis or cha goes below 0 the ability damage is permanent and they become mindless killers that are a threat to all.
incarnadine 03-23-04, 12:17 PM	that's a lot like Vampires the Mascarade. When they don't drink blood and get in to combat they enter a blood rage. Oh and the Vampires do not suffer from Ability loss, remember? would be easier to treat it as Golum's berserker rage.
Ruinous 03-23-04, 12:45 PM	Then call it somthing else, thats what i think should happen, you could say they *Effectivley* lose such and such to whatever ability:D
incarnadine 03-23-04, 02:34 PM	Blood Rage (EX): a vampire that has not fed on blood for a week or more has a cumulative chance of entering a Blood Rage. For each night that a vampire has not drank blood or round of combat, he gains a cumulative 1% chance of entering a Blood Rage. Once in the blood rage the vampire will attack any living creature in the area until he has successfully drank 20 constitution points worth of blood (not necessarily from a single subject) or is destroyed. Once the Blood Rage ceases the vampire's chance of entering a Blood Rage reduces to 0% and he does not need to feed again for a month, after that time the blood rage effects return to normal. Is that better? :confused: :confused:
Lankin the Mad Mage 03-24-04, 01:33 PM	Originally posted by incarnadine that's a lot like Vampires the Mascarade. :rofl: I'm sorry, but I MUST use that the next time I have an agument wih some of my friends. They are totally devoted to Vampire, and this is just too good a joke to pass up! But, yes, in the rules there is no reason for the vampire to drink (excempt for healing purporses?).This is perhaps because they assume everyone knows they drink blood, and the fact tha they wrote it in the flavor text.
EvilPettingZoo 03-24-04, 08:56 PM	Originally posted by incarnadine So if you like you can make a club for Blood Drinkers Anonymous and they can get together for coffee and muffins and say stuff like "I'm Dromnius the destroyer... and ... I ... drink blood", "I Dromnius!" Something very much like that appears in The Fifth Elephant by Terry Pratchett.
WizO_Pony 03-24-04, 09:12 PM	Well it's not much, but Vampires do gain 5 temporary hit points from each successful use of Blood Drain (MM 252).
Lord T Hawkeye 03-24-04, 10:18 PM	I think they gain sustenence from it just as a human would get from food.
Thomar_of_Uointer 03-24-04, 10:37 PM	IMC there are hundreds of different "families" of vampires. Each has uniques traits. They also have common traits. One of the common traits is imbibing of blood. Some families have to drink blood 1/day or they go crazy or die. Others only have to drink blood 1/year or they take 1 point of strength damage each month untill they do. Making vampires is another thing that varies. Some vampires can just suck some blood and the person becomes a vampire unless they succeed on a fortitude save. Others have to force (some are willing) the person to undergo a week-long ritual involving slow draining of blood, followed by the person sucking some of the vampire's blood to replace their own. Generally, vampires cannot reproduce "naturally". Whatever.
incarnadine 03-25-04, 09:38 AM	Originally posted by EvilPettingZoo Something very much like that appears in The Fifth Elephant by Terry Pratchett. and in "Truth" as well
Ruinous 03-25-04, 09:47 AM	Yes, bieng undead and working in the holy water department of clerical supplies is not a great career choice:smirk:
incarnadine 03-25-04, 10:40 AM	Or a flash photographer, or at a pencil factory and many others. The Kosher butcher's is good thopugh.
Baron Phylos 03-25-04, 02:36 PM	Ravenloft Vampires need to drink a minimum amount of blood each day otherwise they lose a level for each day they go without. Vampire Spawns are utterly destroyed when they reach level 0 while Vampires go into an uncontrollable bloodrage.
Bones 03-26-04, 12:25 AM	While it does not state that a vampire needs blood, it is implied. In my campaigns, a vampire does not need blood for survival. It drinks blood to maintain it's life-like qualities. If a vampire goes for more than a week without blood, it's appearance begins to deteriorate. over time it becomes a withered, skeletal thing. In order to restore it's appearance, it must drain 1 point of con per day of abstinence. If the creature it drains is intelligent it needs only 3/4 the amount. If the creature is humanoid, 1/2, and if the creature is the same race as the vampire, 1/4.
Lankin the Mad Mage 03-26-04, 03:49 AM	Isn't that the same explanation they gave on Buffy? That all those illustrations of walking skeletons were vampires who hadn't managed to eat in a lang, lang time?
Bones 03-26-04, 08:22 AM	I wouldn't be able to say, I don't catch every episode. I just think that it makes sense given that most other corporeal undead appear rotted or decayed, and vampires don't. The blood seems to be the only difference.
Archangel 03-26-04, 10:09 AM	Please just don't mention Buffy, the Vampire Fuc:censored::censored::censored: ! In that stupid series Vampires get knocked out and have all kinds of stupid human weaknesses! *smites ArchDemon