User:FiddleSticks96/Libris Vampiricus (3.5e Sourcebook)/Chapter 2

=Vampire Rules=

This section contains a list of rules that are followed by this overhaul concerning vampires. Unless otherwise stated, the rules listed below are unanimous to all vampires.

Favored Classes
Some Bloodlines favor a particular class, such as Fighter for the Quarra bloodline. A vampire of such a Bloodline is considered to have that class as a favored class in addition to any other favored classes the vampire might have from race or other factors. Vampires do not suffer from any alignment restriction based on the favored class of their Bloodline. A Yekef vampire may take levels in other classes without losing its ability to continue to take levels in the Monk class.

These favored classes do not interfere with the favored class status the base creature already has, so a vampire can have more than one favored class at a time.

Becoming a Vampire
Only living corporeal humanoids and monstrous humanoids can become a vampire. There are a few other types of creatures that can become something very similar to a vampire, but they do not use the same vampire template. These variants are discussed later in this overhaul.

By far the most common way of becoming a vampire is when a vampire turns another creature into a vampire. When a creature is turned into a vampire by another vampire, they are the same Bloodline as the vampire who sired them. Purebloods may create vampires of any Bloodline they choose.

It is possible to become a vampire without the aid of a vampire. Powerful magicks and necromantic rituals can be used by those who wish to become a vampire, but do not trust the undead to help them without possible treachery.

It is important to note that natural-born vampires have no genetic or physical defects whatsoever. Sanity/Humanity aside, there is nothing wrong with them. A creature that becomes a vampire shares in some of this lack of physical abnormality. Physical abnormalities will completely revert. This healing does not restore body parts that are missing altogether. A blind creature whose species normally can see would regain its sight, paralysis caused by spinal damage would revert, an extra finger would rapidly decay and the ensuing hole would close up, but a missing hand or organ (such as an eye) would not regrow. This process does not restore mental abnormalities/illnesses.

Bite of a Vampire
A vampire’s fangs carry potent necromantic energies, so it is no surprise that the mere bite of a vampire has an effect on the bitten. A living creature bitten by a vampire suffers a penalty to their saving throws to resist the Charm, Command, and Dominate abilities of the vampire who bit them. If a vampire has the Mesmerize Vitae Feat, bitten creatures also suffer a penalty to resist its effects. This is one reason why vampires often suck the blood of those they are about to Dominate (though actually sucking the blood of their victim is unnecessary, vampires tend to do so anyway).

Category C Vampires cause a -2 penalty, Category B Vampires cause a -4 penalty, and Category A Vampires cause a -6 penalty.

Healing Properties
A vampire’s saliva has a limited ability to heal wounds. A vampire may spend a Full-Round Action licking the wounds of a living creature in order to heal 1 point of damage. Vampires use this curative property of their saliva to close bite wounds on their prey (assuming they leave the prey alive). This does not restore any Constitution Damage dealt by the Blood Drain attack, but it does serve to remove the telltale fang wounds on a vampire’s victim, making it harder to detect vampiric activity.

It only takes one Full-Round Action to close wounds caused by a Blood Drain attack.

Porphyric Hemophilia
When a vampire wishes to make another vampire, they perform what is called the “Embrace”. The Embrace is simply when a vampire injects their own blood with their fangs into their victim. No separate visitation or blood draining is required. Any living creature capable of becoming a vampire needs to be bitten by a vampire and then have at least a drop of that same vampire’s blood enter their system within 24hrs of the bite. When this is done, the living creature acquires a disease known as Porphyric Hemophilia.

A living corporeal humanoid or monstrous humanoid has a small chance of becoming infected while in battle with a vampire. If the creature is bitten by the vampire (either through a successful Bite or Blood Drain attack) and then deals piercing or slashing damage through a melee attack to the vampire that bit them, then there is a 5% chance of becoming infected with the vampire disease. This can happen because some of the vampire’s blood might splash on one of the creature’s open wounds. Large and/or many open wounds may warrant a large chance to become infected at the DM’s discretion.

A vampire has a 100% chance to infect a creature with the vampire disease if they inject their own blood into their victim via their fangs. Inflicting this disease costs 1 point of Vitae.

Porphyric Hemophilia is the disease which causes vampirism. Although it is a disease, Porphyric Hemophilia is also a powerful curse. Afflicted creatures are not entitled to a saving throw to resist being infected, thus, a Heal check cannot cure or slow the disease until the curse is broken. So long as the curse remains in effect, this disease cannot be cured by any means short of a Miracle or Wish spell. To cure a creature afflicted by Porphyric Hemophilia, the creature must be the subject of a Break Enchantment or Remove Curse spell (or a similar effect), and the caster must succeed a Caster Level check (DC 10 + (the Age + GV) of the vampire that infected the creature). The DC increases by 5 if the vampire was a Category B vampire, and by 10 if the vampire was a Category A vampire). After the curse is broken, the creature must have their diseased blood cured. This can be with a Remove Disease spell (or similar effects that cures diseases) or by a Heal with a DC equal to the DC of the caster level check. The hapless creature will join the ranks of the undead if the disease is not cured soon after infection. The time that must pass before the disease slays the creature is 72hrs if the infector was a Category C Vampire, 48hrs if the infector was a Category B Vampire, and 24hrs if the infector was a Category A Vampire.

This disease has only one symptom, while asleep; the infected person will be plagued with nightmares; although severely debilitating effects occur during the last 6hrs of the infection. These nightmares prevent restful sleep and lost spell slots are not regained. When there is only 6hrs left before the infection can be cured, the infected creature becomes deathly ill within mere minutes. The color begins to drain from their flesh, becoming paler and paler, they are overcome with fatigue, they are nauseous, and they gain a fever that quickly grows out of control (the creature is likely to outright lose consciousness at this point); all these symptoms duplicate the effects of Exhaustion, Nauseated, and Staggered, are typically very painful for the creature, and cannot be overcome by any means except by curing the creature of Porphyric Hemophilia. The symptoms are caused by the mass destruction of the creature’s life force. If the creature is cured of this disease before the time period is up, but after these crippling debilitating symptoms occur, the creature suffers Constitution Drain equal to half its Constitution Score, even if the creature is immune to ability drain. This disease is otherwise impossible to detect, and once the final symptoms of crippling debilitation occur, thus allowing others to notice something is wrong, it is typically too late. Those not aware of the vampiric activity usually do not even realize that there is anything wrong at all, until it’s far too late. The infected creature dies after the end of the time period. There are no signs as to the true reason of death, though upon examination, the victim appears to have died from simultaneous failure of every organ in its body. The infected creature rises as a vampire at sunset in 2d4+2 days after death.

Energy Drain
The other method vampires can use to make another of their kind is with their Energy Drain attack. Though this method is quicker than using the vampire disease, it is not preferred. The vampire to be must be killed by the vampire’s Energy Drain attack, which almost always means a violent death. Most vampires cannot deliver their Energy Drain attack except through their Claw attack. The victim of such attacks is far easier to identify as the victim of undead malevolence, so measures are more readily taken to prevent the victim from rising as a vampire. Vampires created in this manner are typically the unintentional byproduct as an encounter with a vampire gone foul. If a vampire truly wishes to create vampires in this manner, it would be wise to take the corpse to a safe place before it is discovered by the locals.

A living corporeal humanoid or monstrous humanoid that is killed by a vampire’s Energy Drain attack (not simply by a claw attack), will rise as a vampire at sunset in 1d6 days.

Curing Vampirism
It is widely accepted that there is no cure for vampirism. There are as many myths and legends surrounding vampirism as there are vampires. One of the most interesting is perhaps the idea of curing the undead of their affliction. There is no evidence which supports any claims that vampirism can be cured outside of divine intervention. Indeed, it is altogether likely that only a deity can reverse such a powerful curse. Despite this, there are myths about vampires being cured of their curse by mortal means. Vampirism can, in fact, be cured by mortal means, but there are very few who know how, and those that do are not in the habit of revealing such secrets. Only those who are less than 50% vampire can be cured of their affliction.

Vampires of more than 50% are weakened by such a cure to vampirism. They must come in physical contact with the cure (usually by means of throwing a bottle of the cure at the vampire in the same way holy water would be used) for this to work.

If a vampire of 50-69% is exposed to a cure, they will become ill in 2d6 hrs. After 24hrs of rest, they will return to normal. This illness has the following effects:


 * Sickened with double the normal penalties
 * -4 circumstance penalty to all ability scores (minimum score of 1)

If a vampire of 70-99% is exposed to a cure, they will suffer damage equal to ¼ of their total HD and will become very ill within 1d6 hrs. After 1 week of rest, they will return to normal. This illness has the following effects:


 * Sickened with triple the normal penalties
 * -6 circumstance penalty to all ability scores (minimum score of 1)
 * All movement rates are cut in half, cannot use Shadowdash abilities

If a pureblood is exposed to a cure, they will suffer damage equal to ½ of their total HD and will immediately become deathly ill. Finally, their regeneration is negated for 24hrs. This damage and illness will not heal until the pureblood has rested for a full month. This illness has the following effects:


 * Sickened with 5x the normal penalties
 * Nauseated for 24hrs
 * -12 circumstance penalty to all ability scores (minimum score of 1)
 * All movement rates are reduced to 30ft, cannot use any Vitae Feats (passive Vitae Feats are suppressed)

Indeed, a cure for vampirism acts as a deadly poison that a pureblood’s immune system is quite vulnerable to. Woe to the purebloods should The Order of the Virtuous Blood ever learn the secrets to curing vampirism.

Physiology
While vampire physiology varies from bloodline to bloodline, there are a few trait that all the bloodlines share. This section will list the physiological traits that all vampires share regardless of bloodline.

When its transformation is complete, a vampire takes on a gaunt, drawn look. The skin tightens over the bones, making the vampire appear austere, aristocratic, or sinister, depending on the base race and facial features. The nails lengthen, take on pointed ends, turning hard as steel and much sharper. A vampire's canines are noticeably long, but are normally kept retracted within a cavity above each canine. Both the top and bottom canines lengthen, but the top canines are the longest. The vampire may extend their fangs at will, but they always extend to their full dimensions when the vampire is feeding. The eyes have reptilian slits for pupils and blood red irises that glow in the dark or when the vampire gets angry (though they can prevent the glow at will, for the times when they wish to remain completely unseen). Their claws have a glassy appearance to them. A Pureblood does not have white in their eyes; everything except for the reptilian pupils are blood red.

Vampires do not actively breath, they have no biological reason to, and must consciously do so if they want to speak or cast a spell with a verbal component (no air in the lungs = no talking). It only takes about 1d4 days for a vampire to get used to having to consciously breathe to speak until it becomes habitual and they no longer have to think about it. The air they exhale is not altered in any way from when they inhaled it (they have no oxygenation process). A vampire does not contribute to dwindling oxygen supplies (beings that would suffocate do not have to worry about the vampire taking up oxygen). Do not count a vampire when you are determining how much time an area has before the air supply is insufficient. This is a trait that all undead share, really.

A vampire’s heart does not beat, and so they do not have a pulse. The heart does not atrophy, because it still serves a few purposes, and a vampire jump-starts its heart, and by extension, its circulatory system, after feeding so the fresh blood can be integrated into their system, but such a pulse does not last for long; however, this does temporarily negate the deathly pallor of their skin. This lack of a pulse, coupled with their nocturnal nature and their lack of bodily processes that break down organic material, thus creating heat, has a few effects on the vampire. First, their skin is often pale and/or sickly in its pallor, but not so pale that it is outright suspicious; though the flesh of Lyrezi vampires and Purebloods are beyond pale, they are pallid. Second, their body temperature tends to take on the temperature of their surroundings (except for Volkihar vampires, who are extremely cold to the touch, and Fekkir vampires, who are warm, if not hot, to the touch) like ectothermic creatures. Third, they are immune to attacks that cause bleeding. The attack itself may still damage the vampire, but vampires do not bleed well, since they lack a pulse, so actual bleeding does not harm them. The actual loss of blood will not damage them; though, if they lose enough blood, they will grow hungry, and possibly frenzy. Vampires do not incur bleeding damage, but the attack that caused the bleeding still harms them.

Without life processes that give off heat as a by-product, vampires are cold to the touch - "cold as the grave," as the saying goes. Vampires are comfortable in (make that "oblivious to") a wide range of temperatures that would make living creatures uncomfortable and even kill them with extended exposure (vampires are immune to cold and heat dangers). While vampires can't withstand supernatural heat any better than living creatures can, though they do have a resistance to supernatural cold (cold resistance 10). They can linger for years in windswept arctic grottos or sun-baked desert tombs. The one exception to this is Volkihar vampires, who are quite susceptible to even natural heat.

Vampires cannot gain sustenance from food or drink fluids other than blood and magic potions. A vampire who consumes solid food, water, or other fluids must succeed on a DC 20 Will save or violently expel the offending material. If the vampire succeeds at the save, they must make another save again in 1 minute, but at a DC 2 points higher than the previous one (the increase in DC is cumulative).

To say that a vampire retains a sense of taste is correct only in a very limited sense. To put it bluntly, anything but blood tastes like sand to a vampire. Liquids taste like watery sand. Blood, however, is very delicious to a vampire.

A vampire’s hearing, scent, and sight are all very acute, but this is typical for an undead of their predatory nature. A vampire’s field of vision is greater than that of a human’s, although this is not necessarily true for base creatures with an already expanded field of vision. A vampire’s field of vision is 260 degrees (slightly greater than that of the average canine); if the base creature’s field of vision is greater, there is no change in field of vision. Flanking opponents gain only a +1 bonus when attacking a vampire, instead of the normal +2 bonus (Rogues still get their full sneak attack damage, because the vampire is still flanked).

Vampires have a digestive system of sorts, but it is more like a delivery system than anything. A vampire’s stomach, liver, intestines, and most attendant organs are predominated by new veins and arteries that are used to transport recently ingested blood to the rest of the vampire’s body, where dry tissues throughout the body absorb the blood like a sponge. The heart especially is wrapped by tangles of veins. The vampire’s body extracts no nutrients from the blood. It is the vital energies within the blood that fuels a vampire. A vampire’s body is capable of holding a much larger quantity of blood than is normal for a creature of its kind (assume that any given vampire is holding, on average, two or even three times as much blood than is normal for a creature of its kind. Example: a vampire with human as the base creature would have about 3 gallons of blood (or 4.5 gallons if 3 times as much) inside them, but only if the vampire was full or otherwise gorged on blood).

Most undead retain only a crude approximation of touch. This is not true for vampires. Vampires are just as sensitive to touch as their living counterparts; however, physical pain is another story. A vampire’s body feels little, or at least chooses not to feel anything, by way of physical pain. The transition into undeath has deadened their pain receptors. Vampires can sense damage to their body, but they do not physically feel it. The exception to this is when they are harmed by anti-vampire damage, holy damage, or by natural sunlight (or true sunlight spells such as Sunburst). Anti-vampire damage causes a vampire as much, if not more, pain as a living creature would feel for being injured in much the same manner. Vampires that are ignorant of this are often surprised when the anti-vampire or holy sword first slashes their skin. Volkihar vampires also feel pain when they suffer fire damage. Fekkir vampires also feel pain when they suffer cold damage. While not being able to feel pain but retaining the ability to sense damage has obvious benefits, there are consequences as well. Most vampires have a very low tolerance to physical pain, as they are simply not used to it. This is especially true for vampires born into aristocracy; since many of them are sheltered and well-guarded, they don’t typically experience any severe physical pain before their vampiric nature awakens. Some vampires even frenzy when they feel physical pain.

Vampires can grow weary despite the fact that they are undead. Perhaps this is because that, out of all undead, vampires are the most like living creatures.

Vampires propagate by transmitting vampirism to others, or by sexual reproduction. The fact that they can sexually reproduce is an anomaly little understood even by vampires. They don’t impregnate, or get pregnant, easily, though, and the higher the category of vampire, the harder it becomes (it is nearly impossible for Purebloods). It is unclear as to why, but having been recently fed seems to aid the process.

With the exception of a few bloodlines, vampirism does not alter the base creature’s physical appearance too much. Living creatures might feel that there is something “not right” with the way the vampire looks, or that the vampire has a feral look about them.

Category B vampires are the same way, but they are quite attractive compared to other members of their base race (the Yekef and Whet-Fang bloodlines are an exception to this). Other bloodlines that alter color more than shape, such as Volkihar and Lyrezi, might give the vampire an appearance that is strange for its base race, but does not necessarily deviate from the vampire’s beauty.

Purebloods are always extremely attractive, at least for members of their base race (for example, a Doppelganger with the Pureblood template may or may not look attractive to humans, but other doppelgangers will think it is extremely attractive). Purebloods have an otherworldly beauty, with a body that is perfectly proportional, perfect skin, perfect hair, and delicate, finely chiseled features. They look like something come out of heaven, but it is only a mask to hide their true nature (death in a pretty package, so to speak).

Pureblood Physiology
While there are a few bloodlines that have a few more physiological differences from their base race, such as a Yekef vampire’s jaw being able to separate or the poison glands above a Berne vampire's fangs, Purebloods have a physiology of their own. Purebloods have all the physiological traits listed in the section above in addition to the traits listed below. These traits are the same for all Purebloods, regardless of their base race.

Purebloods do not have most of the organs that members of their base race do. With a few exceptions, the spaces left behind by these missing organs are filled with the special blood-absorbing tissue that all vampires have; this accounts for a Pureblood's ability to hold a vast amount of Vitae. Organs which they do share include eyes, ears, lungs, a heart, and a brain, although there are radical differences in their makeup and how they function. If the Pureblood’s base race lacks one of these basic organs, so does the Pureblood. A Pureblood’s brain does not have a left and right hemisphere. It has three hemispheres, each encasing the previous one. The first hemisphere is oval shaped and is located in the center of the brain; it is about the same size as the Pureblood’s heart. The second hemisphere encases the first one, although this hemisphere is very thin (no more than 2 centimeters for medium sized Purebloods). The third hemisphere comprises the rest of the brain, and it encases the second hemisphere. A Pureblood’s eyes and ears are virtually identical to those of a member of its base race, although its eyes and ears are extremely acute. A Pureblood’s lungs are only about half the size of the lungs of a member of its base race, but they are much stronger and are capable of compressing a very large amount of air, so a Pureblood’s lungs actually have a much greater capacity than members of its base race.

Special Abilities and Qualities
Vampires have a wide array of special abilities that vary depending on Bloodline and which Vitae Feats the vampire has selected. The following rules apply only to special abilities/qualities that are gained from the vampire template or Vitae Feats.

Special abilities have a caster level equal to the vampire’s HD + their Age (or the Age of the Vitae used in the ability) + their GV (or the GV of the Vitae used in the ability), if a caster level would be applicable.


 * Example: A Haarvenu vampire’s special ability to cast Crushing Despair would have a caster level, but a Gelgoran vampire’s Malefic Touch special ability, which causes damage but doesn't emulate a spell, would not have a caster level. An Egnana vampire’s Aura of Decay special quality, which emulates a Waves of Fatigue effect among other things, would have a caster level even though it is a special quality, not ability.

The DC to resist a special ability/quality is equal to 10 + the vampire’s Age (or the Age of the Vitae used in the ability) + the vampire’s GV + the vampire's Charisma modifier + 1/2 the vampire's HD.


 * Example, the DC of a Yekef vampire’s Fear Aura is determined using this formula.

Some special abilities have a specified range of Close, Medium, or Long. The range of these abilities are as follows:


 * Close: 25ft + 5ft x (the vampire’s HD + the vampire’s Age + the vampire’s GV + the vampire’s Charisma Modifier). Minimum of 25ft.
 * Medium: 100ft + 10ft x (the vampire’s HD + the vampire’s Age + the vampire’s GV + the vampire’s Charisma Modifier). Minimum of 100ft.
 * Long: 400ft + 40ft x (the vampire’s HD + the vampire’s Age + the vampire’s GV + the vampire’s Charisma Modifier). Minimum of 400ft.

All abilities that produce a scrying effect require no focus, but the vampire cannot see through its own senses and the senses of the scrying effect at the same time. It may switch between its own senses and the senses of the scrying effect as a Free Action at will.

All Aura powers have the shape of a Sphere with the specified radius (see the individual Aura descriptions), and are treated as Emanations. The same is true for a Pureblood’s Unholy Might ability.

Any Extraordinary ability granted by vampirism requires a Standard Action to use, unless it is always active.

Any ability granted by vampirism that emulates a spell and is always active is an extraordinary ability.


 * Example: a Pureblood’s Tongues ability or a Volkihar vampire’s Snowsight ability are extraordinary abilities.

Control Checks
Any ability granted by vampirism that produces a Domination effect (or similar effect, such as the Monstrous Thrall effect produced by the Conditioning Vitae Feat), such as Domination or Mass Domination, is considered a Dominate effect.

Command is an ability unique to the Raelu Bloodline.

A Control Check is made when two or more vampires are attempting to Dominate or Command the same creature at the same time. All vampires vying for control make opposing Control Checks by rolling d20. Each vampire gains its Age and GV as a bonus to the final result. The vampire with the highest result wins the Control Check. If all participants have the same result, the highest Category vampire, lowest Generation vampire, or highest Age Category vampire wins the check, with Category taking priority over Generation, and Generation taking priority over Age Category. If the result is still a tie (in the rare event that all participants are the same Category, Generation, Age Category, and had the same die result), each vampire must choose whether or not to make a new Control Check the next round. If only one vampire chooses to make a new Control Check, it automatically wins and does not have to take any other action. If two or more vampires choose to continue the struggle, they must take a Full-Round Action to concentrate on the creature they are attempting to control, and can take no other actions until the next round (if a vampire does take another action before the next round, its concentration is broken and it automatically loses the Control Check). At the start of the next round, each vampire makes a new Control Check. This struggle continues until only one vampire remains in the struggle, or until someone wins the check. Due to the opposing forces struggling for control, the creature that the vampires are attempting to control is Staggered for as long as the struggle continues. Vampires do not have to expend additional Vitae for continuing the struggle.

If a vampire attempts to control a creature already under the control of a vampire, the vampire already in control makes its Control Check without taking an action and without any effort… or any awareness that there is a struggle for control going on.

The table below lists modifiers made to a vampire’s Control Check based on certain conditions.


 * You cannot overpower the control of a vampire 8 or more Generations lower than you. The only way a vampire can be 3 Categories higher than you is if you are a Dhampir and your opponent is a Pureblood. A Dhampir does not possess the power to overpower the control of a Pureblood.

Spells and Effects that Create or Summon a Vampire
This overhaul introduces different levels of vampire, described as “Categories”. Outside of abilities described in this overhaul, any spell, ability, ritual, or effect that turns someone into a vampire, or otherwise creates a vampire, produces a Category C Vampire. The bloodline may be specific to the spell, ritual, effect, whatever, it may be up to the caster, or it may be random.

Strengthen Over Time
Vampires grow more powerful as they age. This is the primary reason why older vampires are more respected, and more powerful, amongst their kind. While a vampire is in the Slumber, they do not benefit from the increased power listed below, but they still continue to gain Age Categories as normal.

The Evolved Undead template (described in Libris Mortis pg 99) is applied differently to vampires. Instead of gaining fast healing, the vampire gains a +1 bonus to all regenerative abilities and all of the spell-like, supernatural, supernatural psionic, psi-like, and extraordinary abilities they received from their vampire template may be used 1 day earlier (if the ability may only be used once per 3 days, they may now use it once per 2 days). If the ability may be used 1 or more times per day, they may use it an additional time per day (if the ability can be used 3 times per day, it can now be used 4 times per day). If the ability may be used at will, the DC to resist it increases by 1. The vampire still gets other bonuses listed in the template.

For every 100 years a vampire goes without gaining a level, they automatically gain a level in a class of their choice (though the vampire must meet the prerequisites). This level represents the power the vampire has gained due to its advanced age.

Some scholars believe that, of the countless vampires that likely lay dormant, unknown and buried beneath the ground, there are many that have become old and powerful. Those same scholars claim that, should these vampires ever awaken, it would be a dark and bloody day for the living races.


 * Note: The book Libris Mortis states that undead may gain the “Evolved” template multiple times. It also says that the chance to gain the Evolved template increases by 1% every 100 years and every time the template is acquired. For the most ancient of undead (those who are thousands of years old). Eventually, this chance will become 100% every 100 years. Each time the template is gained, the undead is supposed to get a +2 bonus to Str and Cha, as well as a +1 bonus to Natural Armor. When an undead has acquired this template dozens of times, the bonus to Str, Cha, and NAC quickly gets ridiculous. How strong can their connection to the negative energy plane get before they can start bench-pressing buildings? For those of us who don’t want to find out, no undead can gain this template more times than their Charisma Modifier.

Vampire Age Master Charts
A vampire grows more powerful as it ages. Each bloodline gains its own bonuses. There is a separate chart for both Category C and B Vampires for each bloodline. Category A Vampires have their own separate chart.

The bonuses listed in each chart are in addition to those gained from the vampire template. The bonuses for each age category are not cumulative.

Neonate vampires do not gain any bonuses beyond those gained from the vampire template, and thus, the Neonate age does not appear in any chart listed below.


 * NAC = Natural Armor Class
 * SPD = Speed (measured in feet)
 * DR = New Damage Reduction*
 * TR = Turn Resistance
 * CR = Challenge Rating


 * Note: The Damage Reduction listed does not account for a vampire’s Generation Value, which is applied to the value on the left side of the /.

Category C Vampires
The charts listed below are the bonuses for Category C Vampires of each bloodline. Only apply these adjustments to Category C Vampires.

Category B Vampires
The charts listed below are the bonuses for Category B Vampires of each bloodline. Only apply these adjustments to Category B Vampires.

Category A Vampires
The chart listed below are the bonuses for Category A Vampires. Only apply these adjustments to Category A Vampires.

Instead of listing each ability score individually, this chart contains a column named Ability Scores. Category A Vampires gain the listed bonus as a bonus to all their ability scores.

Weaknesses
Below is a list of weaknesses all vampires have. Unless otherwise noted, a vampire automatically has these weaknesses.

Grave
A vampire is mystically bound to its grave, whether this is a coffin, a slab in a mausoleum, a burial chamber in a crypt, or a hole in the ground (this list is by no means exhaustive). This location has a resonance of necromancy special to that vampire, and only that vampire. A vampire always knows the precise direction of its grave as though by a permanent Know Direction spell, except that the ability tells the vampire the direction of its grave rather than north. Younger vampires remain dependent on their graves to fuel their power almost as much as they depend on blood; the necromancy that fuels their existence is unstable, and their Grave serves as a stabilizer so as to prevent serious consequences. There are a few exceptions to this rule, but they are rare. A creature that becomes a vampire, but is never buried before it rises, automatically gains the Unbound Vitae Feat, and thus does not have this dependency.

A vampire with Grave Dependency must return to its grave by sunrise each day, and remain at rest in its grave until sunset. A vampire heals wounds at twice the normal rate while resting in its grave. The vampire is not destroyed for failing to return to its grave, but there are consequences for doing so. At sunset, the vampire suffers its HD in lethal damage and immediately loses 1d4+1 Vitae points. The lethal damage cannot be healed by any means except by way of a Blood Drain attack on a living creature. Whenever the vampire sleeps outside of its grave, it is plagued by terrible nightmares, leaving it Fatigued and unable to regain lost spell slots.

Raven Fear
The nomadic tribe that cremated Lamae Bal, the Blood Matron herself, held the Raven as a symbol of renewal of life and purification. At a funeral, they place small statues of ravens around the pyre to “guide the spirit to the afterlife”; thus, when Lamae Bal rose from her funeral pyre, she was greeted by the sight of spiritual guardians ready to take her from the living world. It was at that moment that the vampiric curse developed an instinctive fear of ravens.

The sound or sight of a raven triggers an instinctual fear in vampires. If a vampire hears the sound of a raven, it must make a DC 15 Will save or become Shaken for 1d4 minutes. If a vampire sees a raven, it must make a DC 20 Will save or become Frightened for as long as they are within 15ft of the raven and for 1d4 rounds afterwards; if the vampire succeeds the Will save, they are Shaken for as long as they are within 15ft of the raven and for 1d4 rounds afterwards. The vampire cannot ignore the raven by closing their eyes or not looking at it. The only way to remove the fear is to destroy the raven or move more than 15ft away from the raven. The illusion of a raven, such as a Minor Image spell that duplicates the image of a raven or a Ghost Sound spell that duplicates the sound of a raven, may affect the vampire as normal, but only if the vampire fails to disbelieve the illusion, thus believing it is a real raven.

Due to this fear, a vampire cannot willingly assume the form of a raven; they cannot even select a raven as a creature to shift into with their Beastform ability.

Sunlight
Sunlight is a power feared by many an undead. While some undead, such as wraiths or spectres, are merely rendered powerless by sunlight, a vampire is actually harmed by it. Sunlight's undiluted strength and life-giving effect upon living creatures is the source of a vampire's, and other undead's, weakness to sunlight. They are simply constitutionally unable to accept exposure to sunlight as anything less than a direct physical attack. Only natural sunlight will actually harm a vampire, so, despite its name, the daylight spell will not harm a vampire (though it will temporarily blind them). When a vampire is exposed to natural sunlight, they will burn as if on fire, although they do not actually burst into flames. Depending on the directness of the sunlight, and the age of the vampire, they will turn to dust within a few seconds to a few minutes.

A vampire takes damage per round depending on the intensity of sunlight. Regardless of damage taken, vampires can only withstand a certain number of rounds of sunlight before they are destroyed (see Sunlight Damage Table below). For example, a Young vampire can survive for just 2 rounds in bright sunlight before being destroyed. If it finds sanctuary before the end of the second round, it is not destroyed; however, it suffered 8d6 damage per round for 2 rounds (totaling in 16d6 damage), which may destroy it anyway.

"Additional Notes":

The penalties listed below are cumulative with any others a vampire suffers for being awake during the day (listed in Peculiarities). The penalties listed below are only for when a vampire is exposed to sunlight.


 * A vampire can only take partial actions while exposed to any form of Bright or Overcast/Cloudy sunlight (it can take a move action or a standard action each round, but not both, nor may it take two move actions or a full-round action).
 * Vitae feats cost double the normal amount of Vitae to use. Vitae feats that do not cost Vitae cost 1 Vitae to use. Vitae Feats that are always active do not cost anything as normal. The vampire suffers this penalty while exposed to sunlight levels of Shielded or greater.
 * A vampire's regenerative ability does not function in natural sunlight. The vampire suffers this penalty while exposed to sunlight levels of Shielded or greater.
 * All a vampire's Damage Reductions are halved in natural sunlight. The vampire suffers this penalty while exposed to sunlight levels of Shielded or greater.
 * A vampire reduced to 0 hitpoints while exposed to sunlight levels of Dawn/Dusk or greater is forever destroyed.
 * A vampire suffers a penalty to its Strength and Dexterity when exposed to sunlight (see Sunlight Damage Table below), although they cannot be reduced below 1.

Shielded is considered a minimum of thick clothing (several layers of heavy blankets or leathers) and heavy facial cover. If the vampire is behind a clear but solid substance, such as glass, of at least ½ an inch think, they are considered to be Shielded (example: if the vampire is inside a building but by an uncovered window). A clear but liquid substance, such as water, at least 3ft thick also counts as Shielded. Even under these conditions, a vampire's eyes will still fill with blood and moving will be very painful.

Blocked is considered to be when the vampire is completely covered by a solid, opaque substance (cloth is insufficient), such as wood or stone. This typically means the vampire is inside and away from any uncovered windows, preferably underground. 10ft of a clear liquid substance, such as water, is sufficiently thick enough to count as Blocked.

Adequate shade, such as a thick canopy, the side of a building facing away from the sun, or a deeper darkness spell (but not a darkness* spell), can reduce the type of damage a vampire is taking by one step. For example, an Aged vampire is exposed to Overcast/Cloudy sunlight, suffering 6d6 damage per round (and will be destroyed in 8 rounds regardless of hit points). That vampire takes cover behind some barrels on the side of a building facing away from the sun; now the vampire is considered to be taking damage as though the sunlight exposure was Dawn/Dusk. The duration before the vampire is destroyed is reset, and in this case, the vampire can survive a full 4 minutes, assuming the 4d6 damage per round does not destroy the vampire before the time is up. This is most useful when the vampire is wearing thick enough covering to be considered Shielded. If a Shielded vampire takes cover in adequate enough shade, they would be considered Blocked, and therefore would not be taking any damage or have the threat of destruction.


 * Note: I consider a Darkness spell to be inadequate because it is dispelled by a Daylight spell. I take that into account and say that Darkness is also dispelled by natural sunlight. A Deeper Darkness spell counters a Daylight spell, and although they negate each other, I consider it to be enough to at least make everything in its radius to be shaded when it is cast in an area of natural sunlight. If you as the DM feel that Deeper Darkness does not negate natural sunlight (since it does not block a Sunburst spell), or that Darkness should not be countered by natural sunlight (since natural sunlight is not magical), then feel free to adjust this rule as you see fit.

Purebloods suffer quadruple damage from sunlight (for example, 8d6 damage while Shielded), although they can survive the same duration of exposure before destruction.

It can take a long time for a vampire to recover from sunlight wounds. Until they are healed, they will appear blackened and blistered with charred flesh. They suffer no penalties to their actions while burned and can act normally, despite the terrible pain they feel from their wounds. In the worst cases, a critically burned vampire can be encountered, with smoke still rising from their wounds even weeks after they were originally burned.

Daywalker
A vampire’s vulnerability to sunlight is perhaps its biggest weakness. While there are powerful magicks and items that can grant temporary relief from this weakness, no vampire can become immune to the sun’s deadly rays completely and permanently all on their own. No vampire, except for a pureblood.

When a Pureblood becomes an Antediluvian, they gain the Daywalker template. A Daywalker may be exposed to natural sunlight without penalty.

Special Qualities


 * Daywalker (Ex): The vampire is immune to harm from natural sunlight and true sunlight spells, such as Sunburst. The vampire does not suffer any penalties related to a vampiric weakness to sunlight. The vampire no longer suffers from its light sensitivity.

Challenge Rating
 * Same as the base creature

Level Adjustment
 * None

Holiness
Vampires have an aversion to good-aligned holy symbols; they cause vampires great distress. A vampire cannot get within 10ft of a holy symbol unless they succeed on a DC 40 Will save (the DC is 80 for Purebloods). The DC increases by 1 for every additional holy symbol within 100 feet of the vampire. The distaste is evident unless the vampire succeeds on a Bluff check opposed to the observer’s Sense Motive check. If the vampire is forcibly moved within 10 feet of the holy symbol, they must succeed on the Will save or they will be paralyzed for 1hr, or until they are moved further than 10 feet from the holy symbol. If the vampire is paralyzed for 1hr and waits the entire hour to become unparalyzed, they are frightened and must move away from the holy symbol as quickly as possible. The vampire cannot be paralyzed again in this manner until they are further than 10 feet from a holy symbol. A vampire cannot ignore the presence of a holy symbol by closing their eyes or casting a darkness spell. The holy symbol must be completely destroyed.

Note: The effect of holy symbols described above only applies to holy symbols that are permanent fixtures (drawing a holy symbol in the sand, for example, would have no effect on the vampire). The holy symbols that one carries around with them work slightly differently.

Hand held holy symbols don’t carry as much power, but at the same time, they can be more effective. A vampire will recoil if a good-aligned holy symbol is presented to them with courage and conviction, but only if the creature presenting it has genuine faith in what the symbol represents (unless a PC says otherwise, the DM should assume the PC has such faith, but the faith of NPCs are subject to the DM. Common sense should be a factor here; a high level cleric will have such faith except under the most unusual circumstances, but not necessarily low level clerics, and NPCs that are not divine spellcasters may or may not have any faith at all). A recoiling vampire must stay at least 5 feet away from a creature holding the symbol. If the symbol is removed from sight or if the creature is no longer holding it with courage and conviction, then the vampire is no longer affected by it. Holding a vampire at bay in this manner takes a standard action. If a vial of holy water or a holy symbol strikes (used as a weapon) a vampire, the vampire suffers 2d4 points of holy damage. On a splash, holy water deals 2 points of holy damage to a vampire.

Any permanent site of Good-aligned divine magic (such as a temple to a Good-aligned deity or a sacred grove), or an area under the effects of a Hallow spell, is considered Holy Ground. Any permanent site of Evil-aligned divine magic (such as a temple to an Evil aligned deity or a sacrificial chamber to a Demon Lord), or an area under the effects of an Unhallow spell, is considered Unholy Ground. A vampire cannot easily enter holy ground. It causes them grievous pain and burns their flesh. While on holy ground, a vampire will suffer 1d4 points of holy damage per round, a -4 penalty to all ability scores (to a minimum of 1), a -4 penalty to all attack rolls, damage rolls, ability checks, and skill checks, may only take one move-equivalent action, and any ability that requires the expenditure of 1 or more Vitae points requires 1 additional Vitae point to use.

Purebloods suffer their HD in holy damage/round while on holy ground; this accounts for their double weakness (see below), so do not double this damage.

Category A Vampires are particularly weak to holy damage. All penalties/damage caused by holy ground/objects are doubled. The exception to this is the damage Purebloods take while on holy ground. Instead of suffering 2d4 holy damage per round (what would normally be double damage), a Pureblood suffers its HD in holy damage per round while on holy ground. Weapons with the Holy enchantment deal 4d6 extra damage to the vampire, instead of 2d6, and all damage dealt by such a weapon is converted into holy damage. The vampire is kept at bay for 15 feet by good aligned holy symbols (mirrors still keep them at bay for 5 feet as normal). Hearing the name of a good-aligned deity, a good-aligned outsider especially important to the deity, a good-aligned outsider of great power or significance (such as a solar, a celestial paragon, or their champion), or their titles, or being in the presence of such beings, as well as other religious phenomena, including, but not limited to, praying out loud to said beings, bells of a church to a good aligned deity, or a religious ceremony, causes Category A Vampires physical and mental distress. While this distress is not especially devastating, it is enough to cause them to be extremely uncomfortable, causing them to suffer a –4 circumstance penalty to Concentration checks and any skill checks that require unusual concentration or attention to detail (such as Craft, Forgery, Knowledge, Open Lock, and Search) for 1 minute. A Category A Vampire cannot even speak the names/titles of good-aligned deities, good-aligned outsiders especially important to the deity, or good-aligned outsiders of great power or significance, or recite holy scriptures without some difficulty. To do so, the Pureblood must succeed on a Wisdom Check; the DC for nondeity outsiders is equal to the outsider’s HD, the DC for a deity is 10 + the deity’s Divine Rank (if no Divine Rank is specified, assume the following: If Demigod: Divine Rank 5, If Lesser: Divine Rank 8, If Intermediate: Divine Rank 12, If Greater: Divine Rank 18), and the DC for reciting holy scriptures is 10. If the vampire fails the check, they fumble the words and suffer a -1 cumulative penalty to further attempts to speak the words; the penalty lasts for 1hr. If the vampire succeeds on the check, they successfully speak the words, but they suffer the same penalty for hearing them as described above, except that the penalty is -4 and lasts for 5 minutes. The vampire must make this check each time they attempt to speak a name/title of these beings or for each round they attempt to recite holy scriptures. Attempting to speak the name/title of a good-aligned deity drains the vampire of 1 Vitae, regardless of whether or not they succeed on the Wisdom check. If the Pureblood is present for a lasting good-aligned religious occurrence, such as being at a ceremony or being on holy ground, the penalty is -10 and remains for as long as the Pureblood is present and for 1hr afterwards; in addition, the Pureblood loses 1 Vitae for every minute of such exposure. Typically, said Pureblood becomes especially irritated, even angry, when this kind of thing happens. Some even become angry enough to punish the offending person, building, or even the entire group of people present at such an occurrence. In any case, the Pureblood must make a Bluff check opposed to an observer’s Sense Motive check to hide their discomfort; although Purebloods normally have no trouble succeeding on this opposed check, they still suffer the -10 penalty to their Bluff check because they are attempting to mask their emotions (see Haarvenu bloodline).

Telltale Signs of Vampirism
Vampires not disguising themselves with Mask of Mortality, or other magical effects, have certain qualities that distinguish them from living creatures. The more obvious signs, such as pale flesh, are described under the Physiology section. Reptilian eyes aside, these signs are not so outstanding that they are especially suspicious. Still, a creature can make a note of these signs with a DC 15 Spot check (assuming the vampire has taken no steps to hide them, such as skin-colored powder). Some hint of undead nature must be evident; suspicion is not enough to make this check. A creature that succeeds on this check can follow up with a DC 15 Knowledge (religion) check to identify a creature vampire.

Some Bloodlines have unique telltale signs that are more noticeable than the normal physiological signs. These telltale signs are described under their respective Bloodlines. A DC 15 Knowledge (religion) check can be made to identify which Bloodline is associated with one of these unique telltale signs. Most of these unique signs can also be a natural occurrence, so there is no guarantee that vampiric activity is the cause. These unique signs are always active, even while the vampire is using Mask of Mortality, making it more difficult to hide their true nature. There is a separate Vitae Feat, Mask Unnatural Presence, which can temporarily negate the effects of the sign. Purebloods have all of these unique telltale signs.

Vampires and Diseases
Vampires are undead, animated corpses that have already died; they have little to no reason for bodily functions beyond what is required to pass as living creatures. Vampires are immune to non-supernatural diseases; they are immune to any disease that only deals Constitution Damage/Drain regardless of whether or not it is non-supernatural (such as Mummy Rot) as diseases that cause drastic physiological changes, such as Lycanthropy. While they are immune to the effects of most diseases, they are not immune to acquiring it. A vampire can be a carrier of a disease and is capable of spreading it. If a vampire drinks the blood of a creature infected with a disease that is acquired by Injury or Ingestion, the vampire has an 80% chance of acquiring the disease. A vampire’s Blood Drain and Natural Attacks can spread diseases that infect on Injury. A vampire’s Blood Drain can spread diseases that infect on Ingestion. Vampires cannot spread diseases that are acquired by being Inhaled unless the disease may be spread in some other way. If the disease is spread on Contact, consult your DM to see if the disease can be acquired simply by touching a carrier, or if the disease requires touching a specific thing to acquire it; you will need to know this to decide whether or not the vampire can spread it, or is even capable of acquiring it by feeding off of an infected individual. Vampires cannot spread a supernatural disease if the disease requires being exposed to specific circumstances (such as Mummy Rot; although vampires are immune to Mummy Rot anyway, it is still a good example). This can have catastrophic effects if a vampire gets careless. For example, a nest of vampires could dramatically increase the rate at which Blinding Sickness spreads by initially feeding on infected individuals and then going out and feeding of non-infected individuals. This could be used to the nest’s advantage; however, sooner or later someone is going to figure out how the disease is spreading, and vampire hunters are likely to show up not long after that.

Purebloods are an exception to the above rule. They are immune to ALL diseases, period. They cannot carry or spread diseases (except for the diseases that they are specifically capable of producing, such as the Ash Woe disease produced by their Ash Disintegration attack) since any invading substance, either physical or supernatural, is instantly eradicated by the pureblood’s immune system.

Vitae
Vampires feed by drinking the blood of living creatures or other vampires, and while they derive "some" nutrition (not nutrition but energy) from blood, what the vampire is really doing is feeding off of the vital energies that sustain the living. Any source of power leaks some of its energy over time, the vital life energy in living creatures is no different. Much of this cast off energy is stored inside the creature’s blood, where it finally dissipates into nothing as the blood cells die off. Vampires drink blood so they can get to this vital energy. This is why a vampire’s blood drain causes Constitution Damage rather than Drain, the vampire is stealing left over energy that the creature was not using. It is also why the vampire must drink copious amounts of blood (10oz/feeding), because the vampire is not draining the vital energy at its source. As a vampire ages, it requires less and less vital energy to sustain itself (until the vampire need only feed once per week). The vital energies stored inside blood do not dissipate once it is removed from the creature’s body, as it has been removed from the mechanism that would have recycled it. This is why any thinking vampire always keeps a supply of blood stored in their lair.

Vampires have shortened the term Vital Energy into the term “Vitae”. Vitae is used not only as a source of feeding, but to power many of the vampire’s abilities as well.

All vampires have a Vitae Score. When a creature becomes a vampire, its Constitution Score is replaced by its Vitae Score + its Charisma Modifier (so if a creature with a Constitution of 10 becomes a vampire, it has a Vitae Score of 10 + its Charisma Modifier), a negative Charisma Modifier does not decrease the vampire’s Vitae Score; a Charisma Modifier of -1 or less is treated as +0 for the purposes of determining the vampire’s Vitae Score. When a vampire gains an ability score point, it may choose to increase its Vitae Score by 1 instead of an ability score. As a vampire ages, it gains a bonus to its Vitae Score. Effects that augment Constitution DO NOT affect Vitae Score. The vampire also gains bonus Vitae Feats once it reaches the age of Young, and for each age increase thereafter. Vitae Feats are listed in the sub-section below. See the Vampire Age Table below for details.

A vampire gains 1 Vitae Point for each point of Constitution Damage it deals with its Blood Drain attack. A vampire’s Vitae Score can never increase beyond its maximum, excess points are wasted. A vampire’s current Vitae Score can never drop below 0. A vampire burns 1 Vitae Point each time it is required to feed (younger Vitae is burned before older Vitae, and lower category Vitae is burned before higher category Vitae, older Vitae will be burned before higher category Vitae. for example, a Mature vampire has 8 Elder Vitae and 1 Young Pure Vitae, when it comes time to feed, 1 point of the Elder Vitae is burned, even though the Pure Vitae is younger than the Elder Vitae). If a vampire’s Vitae Score ever reaches 0, or if the vampire ever loses a number of Vitae equal to ½ of its total Vitae Score within a 1 minute period, it must make a Frenzy Check vs Hunger. Even if the vampire succeeds on its check, it must make this check again the next time it would have to feed if its Vitae Score is still 0.

As a vampire grows older, it becomes stronger. A vampire adds its Age as a bonus to its saving throws. The bonuses listed in the Vampire Age Table do not stack; they represent the total bonuses a vampire gets for each particular Age Category. If you have trouble with this, an easier way to put it is that a vampire gains +1 Vitae and +4 Vitae Feats for each Age Category above Neonate, with the exception of Ancestor and Antediluvian. A vampire gains +2 Vitae and +5 Vitae Feats when they make the jump from Ancient to Ancestor, and +5 Vitae and +10 Vitae Feats when they make the jump from Ancestor to Antediluvian.

Vampires also gain a bonus to their Vitae Score and Vitae Feats based on their Category (C, B, and A). See the table below for details.

A vampire may drink the blood of other vampires. While this can be used for simple feeding, it can also be used to strength the vampire, that is to say, vampires may absorb the Vitae of other vampires. Only 1 point of Vitae/round can be absorbed from another vampire. A vampire benefits when absorbing the Vitae of a vampire of a higher Age Category, Vampire Category, or Generation than itself. Example: when a Young 9th Gen vampire absorbs Vitae Points from a Mature 7th Gen vampire, the Young vampire gains the appropriate benefit, but when a Mature 7th Gen vampire absorbs Vitae from a Young 9th Gen vampire, the Mature vampire gains no benefit, in fact, it is now carrying around Vitae that is weaker than it normally has. These benefits stack with each other, so when a Young 9th Gen vampire absorbs Vitae from an Aged 7th Gen vampire, it gains the benefits that Mature and Aged Vitae grant, as well as the benefits for absorbing Vitae of 2 Generation lower than its own. The benefits for higher Vampire Category Vitae do not stack. So if a Category C Vampire absorbs Vitae from a Category A Vampire, the Category C Vampire gains the benefits of Pure Vitae, but it does not gain the benefits of Noble Vitae.

When determining the “name” of a point of Vitae, use the following sequence: “Age Category” “Generation” “Vampire Category”. So a 4th Generation Mature Category B Vampire would produce “Mature 4th Gen Noble Vitae”. This is an ascetic choice but it also indicates what kind of Vitae the vampire has.

In addition to the listed benefits, the vampire may use the absorbed Vitae as if they were a vampire of the appropriate type. A vampire cannot combine its "Age", Generation, or Category with the Vitae of a different vampire, it must use the "Age", Generation, and Category of the absorbed Vitae. The DM should keep track of how much of what Vitae PC vampires have (as an aside, PCs do not automatically know what kind of Vitae they are drinking from another vampire, although they may “sense” that it is weaker, as strong, or stronger than their own Vitae). When using Vitae to power an ability or Vitae Feat, the vampire decides which Vitae points to use.


 * Examples: A Young 10th Generation Category C Vampire has a maximum Vitae Score of 16, it currently has 13 Vitae and it absorbs 3 points of Elder 5th Generation Noble Vitae. The vampire now has 13 points of Young 10th Generation Vitae and 3 points of Elder 5th Generation Noble Vitae. It may use those 3 points of Elder 5th Generation Noble Vitae to power an ability or Vitae Feat as if it were an Elder 5th Generation Noble Vampire. An Aged 5th Generation Noble vampire absorbs 1 point of Young Pure Vitae, when it uses the absorbed Vitae, it will give benefits as if the vampire were a Young 1st Generation vampire, even though the vampire is an Aged vampire, it still gets the benefits of the higher Generation and Category of the Vitae though. An Elder 6th Generation Category B Vampire drains 3 Vitae from an Ancient 2nd Generation Category C Vampire. If the Elder vampire uses the drained Vitae, when it uses the absorbed Vitae, it will give benefits as if the vampire were an Ancient 2nd Generation Category C Vampire, even though the vampire’s Category is higher than the Vitae.

All benefits listed below last until the absorbed Vitae has been used, or until a number of weeks equal to 1 + the Age of the Vitae pass, or until the Vitae is expended. For example, Elder Vitae will last until expended or until 5 weeks have passed since it was absorbed.

A vampire does not gain benefits from its own Vitae.

Neonate: Neonate Vitae is wholly worthless. It offers no benefits beyond mere feeding.

Young: Young Vitae is very weak, but strong enough to provide some benefit. +1 bonus to all attack rolls. Only Neonate vampires may benefit from Young Vitae.

Mature: Mature Vitae has a bit of strength under its belt, but it is still relatively weak. +1 bonus to all saving throws. Only Neonate and Young vampires may benefit from Mature Vitae.

Aged: Aged Vitae has had a century to grow in power. While it is not exceptionally strong, it is not weak either. +2 bonus to Str. May increase the DC of 1 special ability or spell by 2 by expending 1 point of the absorbed Vitae. Only Neonate, Young, and Mature vampires may benefit from Aged Vitae.

Elder: Elder Vitae is old and strong, granting advanced powers. +2 bonus to Str and Dex. May Empower 1 special ability or spell (without increasing the spell slot) by expending 1 point of the absorbed Vitae. Only Neonate, Young, Mature, and Aged vampires may benefit from Elder Vitae.

Ancient: Ancient Vitae carries exceptional power, and many a vampire jumps on the opportunity to acquire even a vial of this Vitae. +2 bonus to Str and Dex. Spells and special attacks deal +1 damage per die. May Maximize 1 special ability or spell (without increasing the spell slot) by expending 1 point of the absorbed Vitae. Only Neonate, Young, Mature, Aged, and Elder vampires may benefit from Ancient Vitae.

Ancestor: Ancestor Vitae is rich and vast in power, but few vampires ever survive long enough to get this old, so it is incredibly rare. +2 to Str and Dex. +4 to Cha. DC of all special attacks increases by 2. May Empower and Maximize 1 special ability or spell (without increasing the spell slot) by expending 1 point of the absorbed Vitae. Only Neonate, Young, Mature, Aged, Elder, and Ancient vampires may benefit from Ancestor Vitae.

Antediluvian: Antediluvian Vitae is so enriched with power that it rivals Pure Vitae, but since it is incredibly rare for even a Pureblood to survive this long (in fact, only a few Antediluvian vampires have ever existed), a single drop of it is worth a king’s ransom to the right people. +2 to all ability scores. Dominations do not cost Vitae. DC of all special attacks increases by 2. May Intensify 1 special ability or spell (without increasing the spell slot) by expending 1 point of the absorbed Vitae; if the Vitae is Pure Antediluvian Vitae, the Intensified attack/spell has all variable numeric values are maximized and quadrupled (rather than maximized and doubled). Only Neonate, Young, Mature, Aged, Elder, Ancient, and Ancestor vampires may benefit from Antediluvian Vitae.

Noble: Noble Vitae has advanced attributes not found in the Vitae of its lesser kin. The DC of all special attacks increases by 1. Only Category C Vampires may benefit from Noble Vitae.

Pure: Pure Vitae embodies vampirism at its height. True power can be found within this Vitae, but it is rare for a lesser vampire to dine upon a Pureblood’s Vitae. +2 bonus to all ability scores. Spells and special attacks deal +2 damage per die. The DC of all special attacks increases by 5. May Intensify one special ability or spell by expending 1 point of the absorbed Vitae. Only Category C and B Vampires may benefit from Pure Vitae.

Generation: Lower Generation Vitae carries more power than higher Generation Vitae. Vitae that is of a higher Generation than the vampire offers no benefits. +1 to the DC of special attacks for each Generation the Vitae is lower than the vampire’s. If the Vitae is at least 4 Generations lower than the vampire’s, the vampire gains a +1 bonus to all saving throws. If the Vitae is at least 8 Generations lower than the vampire’s, the vampire gains a +1 bonus to all saving throws and +1 hitpoint per HD. If the Vitae is at least 12 Generations lower than the vampire’s, the vampire gains a +2 bonus to all saving throws, +1 hitpoint per HD, and a +1 bonus to Initiative. If the Vitae is 15 Generations lower than the vampire’s (possible only if a 16th Gen vampire absorbs 1st Gen Vitae), the vampire gains a +2 bonus to all saving throws, +2 hitpoints per HD, and a +2 bonus to Initiative.

Generation
All vampires have a lineage that can be traced back to a Pureblood, whether this be the Blood Matron herself or one of the later Purebloods. Generation is the term used to described how far removed a vampire is from the Purebloods. This is similar to the vampire categories, but different at the same time. While the categories are used to describe how vampiric a vampire truly is, a vampire’s Generation is a measure of the potency of their own blood, and by extension, their potential for personal power.

When a vampire sires another vampire, the newly created vampire is 1 Generation higher than its sire. It is important to understand that the lower a vampire’s Generation, the more powerful it is. The higher a vampire’s Generation, the more diluted its blood is, and by extension, the less powerful it is. Purebloods are always 1st Generation vampires (they are just born that way). When a Pureblood sires a vampire, that vampire is a 2nd Generation vampire. When a 2nd Generation vampire sires a vampire, that vampire is a 3rd Generation vampire, and so on and so forth until a 16th Generation vampire is created. When a vampire is naturally born, its Generation is the average of its parents rounded up. For example: a 6th Generation and a 10th Generation vampire have a child, that child will be an 8th Generation vampire; a 5th Generation and a 6th Generation vampire have a child, that child will be a 6th Generation vampire (or 5.5 rounded up). If both parents are of the same Generation, their offspring will also be the same Generation. For example: two 4th Generation vampires have a child, that child will be a 4th Generation vampire. In the case of a vampire having a child with a non-vampire, the child will be one Generation higher than its vampire parent. For example: a 7th Generation vampire and a human have a child, that child will be an 8th Generation vampire. Dhampirs do not have a Generation, although they gain a Generation if they ever become true vampires.

The creation of the vampiric Generations happened because the supernatural potency of vampiric blood weakens as it is passed down from sire to child. Eventually, the blood becomes so weak that the child can barely be considered a vampire.

Purebloods are notoriously choosey about who they personally sire. They rarely sire childer, and rarely ever more than one at a time. This is not because the Pureblood fears an eventual rival, indeed, only a Pureblood can rival another Pureblood, but because a Pureblood’s childer tend to become some of the most powerful members of vampiric society. Too many 2nd Generation vampires can upset the balance of power, but too few can mean the dilution of the vampire race. Purebloods keep a close eye on the number of 2nd to 4th Generation vampires. If this number gets too high, they may decide to destroy some of these vampires, if the number gets too low, they may decide to sire extra childer. If the Pureblood must, or very much wants to, Embrace a particular creature or creatures, they might choose to have one of their vampire servants do it, rather than embracing the creature personally, in order to prevent creating too many 2nd Generation vampires. Every 2d3 thousand years, all the Purebloods go out into the living world and each sire a dozen or more childer. This tradition is called The Revitalization, and the Purebloods have long practiced it. The reason for this tradition is to undo the decay of vampirism. Many of the Purebloods also occasionally sexually reproduce with Category B Vampires in order to keep the Generation of the aristocracy low. The ability to prevent the decay of vampirism is the biggest reason why the Purebloods are so revered by lesser vampires. Vampirism would literally slowly decay into nothing without the existence of the Purebloods.

GV = Generation Value. This number is used to determine the power of certain abilities and Vitae Feats. It is used in a way similar to Age Category. If a vampire’s Generation Value is a negative number, it actually penalizes abilities where GV is a factor, such as the Vampiric Healing Vitae Feat. Unless otherwise stated, a negative GV has the potential to reduce an ability’s effectiveness to 0, and cannot reduce the effectiveness below 0. A vampire gains its Generation Value as a bonus (or as a penalty if negative) to its Turn Resistance.


 * Example: A 16th Generation Young Category C Vampire expends 1 point of its Vitae to use Vampiric Healing. It heals 1d12-3 (or 1d12 + "Age" + GV) and rolls a 3. It heals 0 hitpoints, thus, the Vitae was so weak that it failed to produce any effect.

Bonus Vitae Feats: Vampires gain a certain number of bonus Vitae Feats every 3 levels, depending on their Generation. A penalty under this column indicates that the vampire suffers a penalty to the number of bonus Vitae Feats they gain per Age Category, not per 3 levels, thus, 16th Generation vampires do not gain any bonus Vitae Feats when they gain a new Age Category, while 1st Generation vampires gain an extra 8 Vitae Feats every 3 levels.


 * Note: A vampire’s Total Vitae Score cannot be reduced below 1.

The demography of Generation is not evenly distributed. Higher Generations are not necessarily more numerous than lower Generations, although there is an obvious trend for this. Depending on the campaign setting, Generations beyond a certain number may not even exist…yet. Generations 12+ should not exist in a world unless vampires have been there for a very long time (over 10,000 years at least).

The DM should consider carefully before allowing vampires of 5th Generation or lower to be a visible enemy in a campaign. Most low Generation vampires are quite power, and, having had centuries (if not millennia) to stake their claim amongst the vampire elite, are likely to have an extensive network of wealth, servants, and allies (and enemies). Unless vampirism is relatively new to the world, these vampires are best left as unseen, and unknown, forces within a campaign world, and should have no direct interest in the PCs (unless the PCs are actively, probably unwittingly, disrupting that vampire’s long-term plans, and not just the plans of their servants).

Generation Special Abilities
In addition to the adjustments listed in Table Generations above, the lower Generations grant special abilities. These abilities are described below. These abilities are cumulative, so a 6th Generation vampire also has the abilities granted to 8th Generation vampires.

1st Generation:

Mettle (Ex): Vampires of the 1st Generation are truly fearsome. Sometimes, just hurting one can be a task. If the vampire makes a successful Fortitude or Will save against an attack that would normally have a lesser effect on a successful save, it instead negates the effect.

Horror of the Grave (Su): On an instinctual level, all living things fear death, and 1st Generation vampires are the very face of death. This primal fear weakens the resolve of all living creatures engaged in combat with the vampire, causing them to suffer a -2 penalty to all saving throws. This ability cannot be resisted or overcoming in any way.

2nd Generation and lower:

Curse of Dark Enervation (Su): As a standard action, the vampire may pronounce a powerful curse on a single living creature. The creature must be within 90ft of the vampire, and the vampire must have an unbroken line of effect to it. The creature is entitled to a Will save to resist the effect. Creatures afflicted by this curse cannot heal naturally, and magical healing restores minimum hitpoints (the Heal spell only heals the creature of 1 hitpoint per caster level). If the creature has Fast Healing or Regeneration, it only heals 1 hitpoint per 6 hours (or the normal rate, whichever is lower). The creature suffers a -6 profane penalty to all saving throws made to resist diseases and a Remove Disease spell automatically fails when cast on the creature, although more powerful spells, such as Greater Restoration, can still cure the creature of a disease. All Heal checks performed on the creature suffer a -6 profane penalty. This curse cannot be broken by a Break Enchantment spell or even a Limited Wish spell. It can only be broken by a Miracle, Reality Revision, or Wish spell, or by a Remove Curse spell with a caster level of at least 17. If the creature dies, and is later raised or resurrected, the curse is broken.

Unholy Touch (Su): The unholy energies that suffuse the vampire are so strong that the vampire can inflict harm with but a touch. As a standard action, the vampire may make a melee touch attack. Good aligned creatures struck by this attack suffer 5d6 unholy damage and must make a Will save or be Sickened for 1d4 minutes. Creatures with the Good Sub-Type suffer 10d6 unholy damage, are Sickened for 2d4 minutes (no save), and on a failed Will save are Nauseated for 2d4 rounds.

3rd Generation and lower:

Eerie Presence (Ex): Vampires of such a low Generation are as far removed from the living as the land is from the sky. Living creatures within 10ft of the vampire subconsciously sense that there is something “different” or even “wrong” about it. Most living creatures find the vampire’s presence to be disturbing, although they cannot explain why. This ability cannot be suppressed, even by Mask or Mortality.

Unholy Grace (Ex): The vampire’s mere force of character is enough to thwart attacks on its being. The vampire adds its Charisma modifier as a bonus to all its saving throws and as a Deflection bonus to its AC.

4th Generation and lower:

Unholy Mantle (Su): The unholy energies that suffuse the vampire protect it against holy forces. The vampire has SR 25 against spells with the Good descriptor or that are cast by a Good aligned creature.

6th Generation and lower:

Tenacious Clutch of the Grave (Su): The vampire’s will tightly clenches the bodies, minds, and souls of those it seeks to control. The DC to resist the vampire’s Charm, Command, and Dominate abilities increases by 4.

8th Generation and lower:

Lifesense (Su): The vampire notices and locates living creatures within 50ft x its GV of itself, just as if it possessed the Blindsight ability. It also senses the strength of their life force automatically, as if it had cast Deathwatch. The vampire does not need to make Spot or Listen checks to notice living creatures within range of this ability.

Generations and Vampire Society
Generation is an important part of vampire society. It is a direct measure of a vampire’s potential for personal power. Low Generation (8 or lower) vampires have a distinct advantage that will aid them on their way to climbing the social latter. High Generation (9 or higher) vampires are not so fortunate, and must tread carefully around their superiors. The final few Generations of vampires are the mongrels of vampire society. They are barely considered vampires and must take whatever scraps they can get.

Category B Vampires are typically in the lower echelons of vampiric Generations. Category B Vampires of more than 7th Generation are rare. The vampire aristocracy rarely intermingles with weaker breeds. Marriages are typically arranged in order to keep the family’s Generation from increasing, and if the Generation can be decreased through enough well placed marriages, so much the better.

Although it is important, Generation is not everything. A low Generation vampire can still be bested by an old vampire of a higher Generation.

Asking a vampire their Generation is considered a grievous, and sometimes fatal, breach of etiquette.

1st Generation: Vampires of this Generation cannot be created through the Embrace. Most 1st Generation vampires are Purebloods, but it is possible for non-pureblood 1st Generation vampires to come into existence. There are a few ways for a vampire to permanently decrease their Generation, and if this is done enough times, the vampire will eventually become a 1st Generation vampire. The first is through consumption of enough Pure Vitae. The second is through the 9th level Wizard spell Rite of Ageless Blood. The third is through Diablerie. Non-pureblood 1st Generation vampires are few and far between, but are amongst the most powerful and influential vampires in existence, second only to the most ancient of vampires and the Purebloods. Vampires of this Generation are never seen beyond the confines of their lairs, though the oldest of them rule entire kingdoms. They use their vast wealth and many servants to do their dirty work for them. Although there have been rare instances of a Pureblood deciding to take a hands on approach with their work just for the sport of it (whether out of curiosity or boredom), few beings ever learn the nature of the one (the Pureblood) they are dealing with.

2nd Generation: Vampires of this Generation are typically the childer of the Purebloods, but this is not always the case. Still, a few 2nd Generation vampires do exist without being the child of a Pureblood, but all of these vampires are Category B Vampires and their immediate family. 2nd Generation vampires are almost as power and influential as 1st Generation vampires. Only the most foolish or insane vampire would dare cross one of them. Just like 1st Generation vampires, vampires of the 2nd Generation use their servants to do the things beyond their lairs that need doing, although the younger ones often must perform tasks for their Pureblood sires.

3rd and 4th Generations: Vampires of these Generations are the true movers and shakers of vampire society. Their power practically guarantees them a place amongst the high ranking nobility. Vampires of this Generation almost never venture beyond their lairs, although 4th Generation vampires are more likely to do so then 3rd Generation vampires.

5th and 6th Generations: Vampires of these Generations, although removed from the Purebloods by a few Generations, are still very powerful. They are rarely encountered out of their lairs, but are much more likely to personally take care of their own matters than lower Generation vampires, thus, they do make infrequent appearances in the outside world.

7th and 8th Generations: Vampires of these Generations are by far the most visible of the rulers of vampire society. Few vampires will openly oppose the older vampires of these Generations, but nearly all secretly plot against them. 7th and 8th Generation vampires don’t have the overwhelming power of lower Generation vampires, so they are defeated easily by comparison. To make up for this fact, most vampires of these Generations surround themselves with a large number of Spawn and Childer.

9th through 11th Generations: Vampires of these Generations are much weaker than lower Generation vampires. 9th Generation and higher vampires are the most commonly encountered vampires in normal campaign settings. They lack the overwhelming power of the lower Generations, but can be extremely dangerous in large numbers, and are still each of them an undead monster that should not be underestimated.

12th through 13th Generations: Vampires of these Generations are the mongrels of vampire society. They are far removed from the Purebloods, and the weakness in their blood only serves to prove their inferiority. Although they are much weaker than their lower Generation brothers and sisters, they are still vampires, and are still quite capable of ripping apart would-be adventurers. Vampires of 12th and 13th Generation cannot select Vitae Feats with an Age Category prerequisite of older than Ancient.

14th Generation: Vampires of the 14th Generation show the effects of increasingly diluted blood by resembling the living more than lower Generations. They are the lowly foot soldiers and servants of older and stronger vampires. Although they can hardly expect to climb to the top heights of vampiric prestige, the more capable ones can expect to eventually reach positions such as captain or the personal retainer of their master. Vampires of the 14th Generation cannot cannot select Vitae Feats with an Age Category prerequisite of older than Aged.

15th Generation: Vampires of the 15th Generation are barely considered vampires by those of lower Generation. They are so far removed from the Purebloods that whenever they perform the Embrace, there is a 50% chance of failure, in which case the victim simply dies from the disease. Their Vitae is diluted to the point that they cannot select Vitae Feats with an Age Category prerequisite of older than Mature. In spite of their weakness, or more likely because of it, they are far more tolerant of sunlight and holy phenomena. They may also last for longer periods of time before feeling the effects of the hunger. A rare few 15th Generation vampires are immune to the effects of Sunlight.

16th Generation: Vampires of the 16th Generation are at the bottom of the vampiric food chain. They are often derogatorily referred to as Thin-Bloods. Their blood is so weak that they cannot even perform the Embrace, thus, there is no Generation beyond this one. Their Vitae is so weak that they cannot select Vitae Feats with an Age Category prerequisite of older than Young. Underestimated and unwanted, they are the outcasts of vampire society. Their weakness is not without its advantages. Being so far removed from the Purebloods, 16th Generation vampires are unaffected by holy phenomena and sunlight, and they may go for prolonged periods of time without feeding. They may also sexually reproduce just as easily as a member of their base race; however, they always birth Dhampirs, regardless of their percentage of vampirism. The presence of 16th Generation vampires means that the Purebloods are more than ready to perform the Revitalization.

Frenzy
Vampires, being heavily influenced by their primal instincts, are much more bestial than the living. Just as when an animal is cornered, a vampire can lose themselves to their instincts in order to survive. This is called Frenzy, and is what happens when The Beast takes over a vampire. When a vampire frenzies, it loses all awareness and control, being reduced to a wild beast with the fight or flight mentality. A vampire does not remember anything that happened while it was in a Frenzy.

While in a Frenzy, a vampire cannot use any Charisma, Dexterity, or Intelligence based skills (except for Balance, Escape Artist, Intimidate, and Ride), the Concentration skill, or any abilities that require patience or concentration, nor can it cast spells or activate magic items that require a command word, a spell trigger (such as a wand), or spell completion (such as a scroll) to function. It can use any feat it has except Combat Expertise, item creation feats, and metamagic feats.

A vampire cannot voluntarily end their frenzy. Frenzying is an instinctual reaction that cannot be consciously initiated (except by Invernus vampires and Purebloods). In all cases, frenzying is a bad thing, and vampires will often go to great lengths to avoid it. A Pureblood is able to calm frenzied non-Pureblood vampire by using its Pureblood’s Geas ability. Purebloods suffer a –5 penalty to all Frenzy checks.

A frenzied vampire will attack anything that gets in its way, friend or foe. Reason and deep seated relationships are thrown to the wind, leaving behind only rage, fear, and bloodlust.

Unlike regular morale failure, PCs do not decide when their character does or doesn’t lose control. A PC vampire that fails a Frenzy check falls under the DM’s control for as long as the Frenzy lasts. All creatures are influenced by their primal nature. They sometimes give in to their nature, but otherwise have control over it. Vampires do not have this control. Frenzying is a direct consequence of The Beast. It is this lack of control that drives vampires towards evil tendancies. It is the fear of minding your own business one moment, and then the next moment hearing the pitiful wheezes of a person sputtering out their last few breathes before crumbling into a lifeless husk in your bloodstained arms, not knowing when or how it happened. PC vampires are subject to this lack of control as much as any NPC vampire.

A vampire has a chance to Frenzy under the following circumstances.

Hunger:

A vampire must make a Frenzy check if it misses 3 feedings in a row. It must make a Frenzy check for ever feeding thereafter until it has fed.

When a vampire fails a Frenzy vs Hunger, it attacks the nearest living corporeal creature and attempts to drain it of all of its blood. If there is no such creature nearby, the vampire will seek one out, attacking the first living creature it finds. The vampire remains in this state until it has fed on at least 8 points of Constitution of blood. Even after feeding on 8 points of Constitutiton of blood, if the vampire is drinking from a living creature, the vampire is unlikely to snap out of its frenzy (90% chance to continue) until it is sucking on a dry dead artery.

Extreme Danger:

A vampire might frenzy when in extreme danger. Examples of such danger include exposure to sunlight (or a true sunlight spell, such as Sunburst), being set of fire (or otherwise suffering large amounts of fire damage), having less than 10% hitpoints remaining, losing more than 20% of its total hitpoints in 1 round, or being successfully Turned (but not outright destroyed). Other forms of danger can trigger this response as well. Vampires that do not have a vulernability to fire, such as Selenu vampires, do not make a Frenzy check vs Extreme Danger when set on fire or when suffering large amounts of fire damage.

When a vampire fails a Frenzy check vs Extreme Danger, the Flight in the fight or flight mentality is triggered. The vampire runs from the source of its fear as fast as possibly, taking advantage of anything and everything it can. A vampire may cast spells or use magic items with a trigger (such as a wand) while in this state, but only if the action results in bringing the vampire farther away from the source of its fear. The vampire will attack anything that gets in its way, but only enough to push past or get around whatever might be blocking it. The vampire will remain in this state until it is no longer in danger of the source of its fear (such as being doused in water to put a fire out or fleeing a large distance from an overwhelming opponent).

Extreme Negative Emotion:

Negative emotions, such as rage, sadness, or humiliation, can cause a vampire to Frenzy if the emotions felt are extreme enough. Examples of what might force a Frenzy check vs Extreme Negative Emotion include when a loved one is killed or in danger, a long-term plan falling apart, or great public humiliation. The DM is encouraged to let the PCs decide what might cause such great emotions in their characters, but is equally encouraged to overrule any player decisions and force a Frenzy check vs Extreme Negative Emotion if they feel that a PC’s character would reasonably be under extreme negative emotion or if it would enrich gameplay.

When a vampire fails a Frenzy check vs Extreme Negative Emotion, it attacks the source that caused these emotions. The vampire will attempt to kill any creature or destroy any object that triggered the Frenzy. If the vampire frenzied during combat, it will continue to attack until all enemies within the immediate vicinity have been eliminated. The vampire will not take suicidal attempts to succeed, and if what triggered the Frenzy is beyond the vampire’s reach, the vampire will mindless attack its surroundings (destroying objects and killing people). The vampire remains in this state until it has destroyed whatever triggered the Frenzy, or in the case of the source being out of reach, for 2d4 minutes.


 * Note: In this instance, out of reach does not mean NOT within arm’s length. It means so far away that it would be unreasonable or impossible to reach, such as when the vampire receives news from a courier that a rival has thwarted a decades long plan. If a creature caused the vampire to frenzy in this way, and there is no doubt that the vampire could ever defeat said creature, that creature is considered beyond the vampire reach.

Battle:

Only Purebloods and Quarra vampires are subject to this kind of Frenzy. This is noted under the Quarra Bloodline. Purebloods and Quarra vampires gain much excitement and pleasure out of battle. While in combat, they can sometimes get caught up in their excitement and fly into a Frenzy. A Pureblood or Quarra vampire must make a Frenzy check vs Battle if they kill (or destroy in the case of undead and contructs) an opponent during or for every 10 rounds of combat.

Frenzy Check DC Table
The table below listed the DCs of Frenzy checks for each type of trigger. Frenzy checks are not saving throws, and so the vampire does not gain any ability score adjustment as a bonus. A vampire rolls d20 and gains its Age as a bonus on the final result.

The table below listes modifiers to the DC of Frenzy checks. The modifiers below stack with each other with the following exception: The modifiers for Sight/Scent of Blood and Taste of Blood do not stack. For example, if a vampire has less than half of its Vitae left and it can smell blood it suffers a -2 penalty to Frenzy checks vs Hunger (-1 for the scent of blood and -1 for the lack of Vitae).

Adjustments for Frenzy
Below is a list of adjustments vampires receive while in a Frenzy.


 * +5 to bonus Str, Dex, and Regenerative Abilities
 * Damage Reduction increases by +10/+1
 * +30ft bonus to all movement rates (may benefit from Shadowdash)