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Monster Mayhem 10/18/2002

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The Vampire Lord (Template) Email A Friend
By Robert Wiese
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In the machinations of vampires, the undead creatures vie against the living and against each other. Power is
all, and the accumulation of power is the goal of these foul beings. Sometimes they rise up against their
creators; on rare occasions they succeed in breaking the iron control of their "master" and slay it. These
creatures can go beyond the normal vampire, and become an even more vile and horrible undead: a vampire
lord. Few are ever seen, or recognized if seen. Possessing few of the weaknesses of their lesser kindred, they
walk among mortals with little fear of discovery. They are the rulers of vampire communities. In a world where
vampire conclaves battle against each other, the vampire lords play chess with their lesser kindred.

Vampire lords are those few vampires who meet a strict set of requirements. They each have lived as a
vampire for at least 100 years, and have acquired 10 or more class levels or Hit Dice. They tend to possess
levels of arcane spellcasting classes, but not always. A vampire lord was formerly a vampire under the control
of another vampire (not a vampire lord) and has slain its creator. Further, the vampire lord must have created at
least 10 vampires and survived an assassination attempt by one of its subjects before achieving vampire lord
status.

Vampire lords are few and far between, and each is fiercely territorial. They know that run-of-the-mill vampires
cannot match their power, but another vampire lord is a definite threat. As they gain power, they become more
arrogant towards those they believe pose no threat, and more fearful of any real threat to their continued
existence. Thus, if a vampire lord arises in the territory of another, the newcomer is driven away or destroyed as
quickly as possible. Vampire lords command hundreds of undead servants throughout their vast territories,
and can have legions of vampire servants at their beck and call.

Unlike normal vampires, a vampire lord does not look the least bit unusual. It looks exactly like it did when alive
and in the peak of health. It has lost the pale, hardened, almost feral look of the vampire. A vampire lord always
surrounds itself with wealth and opulence, but it never forgets that the opulence is a by-product of power, not
the primary goal.

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

Creating a Vampire Lord

Vampire lord is a template that can be applied to any humanoid or monstrous humanoid creature with a
character level of at least 10 that has already had the vampire template applied to it (hereafter referred to as
the "base vampire"). So, make a vampire, and then apply this template to it. The creature uses all the special
abilities of the base vampire, except as noted below.

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

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

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

Attacks: Same as base vampire.

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

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

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

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

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

Alternate Form (Su): A vampire lord can assume the form of any animal, as the druid ability wild shape used by
a 12th-level druid. The vampire lord can use this power at will as a move-equivalent action. The vampire lord
can change from one animal shape to another without having to revert to its humanoid form.

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

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

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

Damage Reduction (Ex): A vampire lord is extremely tough; it has damage reduction 10/+3.

Fast Healing (Ex): As base vampire, but a vampire lord heals 8 hit points each round so long as it has at least 1
hit point. It has 24 hours to reach a place of rest (rather than 2 hours) if brought to zero hit points. A vampire
lord can have many places of rest prepared, since the only requirement is some soil from its homeland (the
place where the base vampire was born).

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

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

Turn Resistance (Ex): As base vampire +4 (see Monster Manual).

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

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

Skills: A vampire lord receives an additional +4 racial bonus to Scry and Sense Motive checks, and a +8 racial
bonus to Diplomacy and Intimidate checks.

Feats: Vampire lords gain Iron Will and Leadership as bonus feats, assuming the base vampire does not
already have these feats.

Climate/Terrain: Any land or underground

Organization: Solitary

Challenge Rating: Same as base vampire +3

Treasure: Quadruple standard

Alignment: Any evil. In the transformation from vampire to vampire lord, the creature recovers the Law-Neutral-
Chaos bent of the original creature. Thus, a Lawful Neutral monk who becomes a vampire turns Chaotic Evil,
and when it becomes a vampire lord it turns Lawful Evil.

Advancement: By character class

Vampire Lord Weaknesses

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

Vampire lords cannot be repelled by garlic or holy symbols, though they can be turned. Mere presentation of a
holy symbol has no effect. They have no fear of mirrors, and they cast reflections as living beings do.

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

A vampire lord is not as vulnerable to sunlight as a normal vampire, and can go about in broad daylight if it
desires. Under sunlight, it takes a -4 penalty to all ability scores and on all attacks, saves, and skill checks. Also,
a vampire lord in sunlight cannot use any of its supernatural powers. Victims of its domination power are not
freed of the vampire lord's control during daylight hours; the vampire lord can verbally command any creature
in its thrall even in direct sunlight. Spells that produce sunlight effects cannot harm a vampire lord; only direct
light from the sun can weaken it. If the vampire lord is destroyed while exposed to direct sunlight, it seems to
die, but unless the body is disposed of as described below, it assumes gaseous form as soon as the sun sets
and attempts to return to its coffin.

A vampire lord is not killed outright by a wooden stake driven through its heart, though the stake does cause
normal damage if it can bypass the creature's damage reduction.

The only way to make sure that a vampire lord does not return is to cut its head from its body, burn the body
and the head separately, scatter the ashes from the body over running water, immerse the ashes from the head
in holy water, and bury the immersed ashes in consecrated ground. However, if the head ashes are ever
unearthed and somehow separated from the holy water, dried thoroughly, and then subjected to an unhallow
spell, the vampire lord can regenerate in a week if the ashes are placed inside one of its places of rest.

Sample Vampire Lord

This example uses a 10-level female human wizard vampire as the base vampire.

Vampire Lord
Medium-Size Undead
Hit Dice: 10d8 (75)
Initiative: +10
Speed: 20 ft.
AC: 30 (+6 Dex, +12 natural, +2 bracers of armor), touch 16, flat-footed 24
Slam +11 melee, or quarterstaff +11 melee, or masterwork light
Attacks:
crossbow with masterwork bolts +13 ranged
Slam 1d6+9 plus energy drain, quarterstaff 1d6+9, masterwork light
Damage:
crossbow with masterwork bolts 1d8/19-20
Face/Reach: 5 ft. by 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Blood drain, domination, energy drain
Alternate form, children of the night, cold resistance 20, control weather,
Special Qualities: create spawn, DR 10/+3, electricity resistance 20, fast healing 5, gaseous
form, spider climb, telekinesis, telepathy, turn resistance +8, undead traits
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +13, Will +14
Abilities: Str 22, Dex 22, Con -, Int 21, Wis 16, Cha 14
Alchemy +12, Bluff +10, Concentration +15, Diplomacy +10, Hide +14,
Intimidate +10, Knowledge (arcana) +18, Knowledge (the planes) +18,
Skills:
Listen +13, Move Silently +14, Scry +22, Search +13, Sense Motive +15,
Spellcraft +18, Spot +13
Alertness, Brew Potion, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Improved Initiative, Iron
Feats:
Will , Leadership, Lightning Reflexes, Quicken Spell, Scribe Scroll
Climate/Terrain: Any land and underground
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 15
Treasure: Quadruple standard
Alignment: Neutral evil
Advancement: By character class
Blood Drain (Ex): The vampire lord can suck blood from a living victim with her fangs by making a
successful grapple check. If she pins the foe, she drains blood, inflicting 1d4+2 points of
Constitution drain each round the pin is maintained.

Domination (Su): The vampire lord can crush an opponent's will just by looking into his or her
eyes or speaking. This ability is similar to a gaze attack, except that it does not require line of
sight to the target, the vampire lord must take a standard action, the range is 30 feet, and those
merely looking at her are not affected. Anyone she targets who can hear her voice when she
speaks at a normal volume level must succeed at a Will save (DC 17) or fall instantly under her
influence as though by a dominate person spell (caster level 12th).

Energy Drain (Su): A living creature hit by a vampire lord's slam attack takes three negative levels,
or six on a critical hit. For each negative level inflicted on an opponent, the vampire lord heals 5
points of damage (or 10 on a critical hit), gaining any excess as temporary hit points. After 24
hours have passed, the afflicted opponent must attempt a Fortitude save (DC 17) for each
negative level. If successful, the negative level goes away with no harm to the creature; otherwise
the creature's level is also reduced by one.

Alternate Form (Su): A vampire lord can assume the form of any animal, as the druid ability wild
shape used by a 12th-level druid. The vampire lord can use this power at will as a move-
equivalent action. The vampire lord can change from one animal shape to another without having
to revert to its humanoid form.

Children of the Night (Su): A vampire lord commands the lesser creatures of the world and once
per day can call forth a pack of 4d8 dire rats, a swarm of 10d10 bats, or a pack of 3d6 wolves as
a standard action. These creatures arrive in 2d6 rounds and serve the vampire lord until released.
Further, the vampire lord can sense through the senses of any such commanded creatures, and
communicate empathically with them, to a range of 10 miles.

Control Weather (Sp): The vampire lord can cast either control weather or fog cloud (caster level
12th) at will.

Create Spawn (Su): A humanoid or monstrous humanoid slain by a vampire lord's energy drain or
blood drain attack rises as a vampire 1d4 days after burial. In either case, the new vampire is
enslaved to the vampire lord until its master's death, and the willpower of the vampire lord is too
strong to allow the new vampire to break free of its enslavement.

Fast Healing (Ex): The vampire lord heals 8 points of damage each round so long as she has at
least 1 hit point. If reduced to 0 hit points or below, she automatically assumes gaseous form and
attempts to escape. A vampire lord must reach one of her designated places of rest within 24
hours or be utterly destroyed. (A vampire lord can have many places of rest prepared, since the
only requirement is some soil from her homeland). She can travel up to 9 miles in 2 hours. Once
at rest in such a place, she rises to 1 hit point after 1 hour, then resumes healing at the rate of 8
hit points per round.

Gaseous Form (Su): As a standard action, a vampire lord can assume gaseous form at will, as
the spell (caster level 5th), except that she can remain gaseous indefinitely and has a fly speed of
20 feet with perfect maneuverability.

Spider Climb (Ex): A vampire lord can climb sheer surfaces as though with a spider climb spell.

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

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

Turn Resistance (Ex): The vampire lord is less easily affected by clerics or paladins than most
undead. When resolving a turn, rebuke, command, or bolster attempt, the vampire lord is treated
as an 18-HD creature.

Undead Traits: The vampire lord is immune to poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, disease, death,
effects, necromantic effects, mind-influencing effects, and any effect requiring a Fortitude save
unless it also works on objects. She is not subject to critical hits, subdual damage, ability
damage, ability drain, or energy drain. Negative energy heals her, and she is not at risk of death
from massive damage but is destroyed at 0 hit points or less. A vampire lord has darkvision (60-
foot range). She cannot be raised, and resurrection works only if she is willing.

Spells Prepared (4/6/5/4/4/3; save DC 15 + spell level): 0 -- arcane mark, detect magic, ghost
sound, mage hand; 1st -- burning hands, change self, charm person, enlarge, identify, magic missile;
2nd -- bull's strength, cat's grace, invisibility, knock, protection from arrows; 3rd --
clairaudience/clairvoyance, dispel magic, fireball, haste; 4th -- contagion, Evard's black tentacles,
ice storm, stoneskin; 5th -- animate dead, cloudkill, permanency.

Spellbook: 0 -- arcane mark, dancing lights, daze, detect magic, detect poison, disrupt undead,
flare, ghost sound, light, mage hand, mending, open/close, prestidigitation, ray of frost, read magic,
resistance; 1st -- burning hands, change self, charm person, enlarge, feather fall, identify, magic
missile, protection from good, shocking grasp, true strike, unseen servant, ventriloquism; 2nd --
bull's strength, cat's grace, darkness, fog cloud, ghoul touch, invisibility, knock, protection from
arrows, scare, spectral hand; 3rd -- clairaudience/clairvoyance, dispel magic, fireball, haste,
lightning bolt, slow, tongues; 4th -- contagion, Evard's black tentacles, ice storm, polymorph other,
polymorph self, scrying, stoneskin; 5th -- animate dead, cloudkill, passwall, permanency, prying
eyes, sending, wall of iron.

Possessions: Quarterstaff, masterwork light crossbow, 10 masterwork bolts, scroll of fireball


(10th-level caster), scroll of flesh to stone, scroll of teleport, potion of haste, bracers of armor +2,
wand of lightning bolt.

About the Author

Robert Wiese grew up in a cave in the California desert called suburbia. He took refuge in groups for survival,
such as the Boy Scouts and later a gaming club. He chose a mate and moved to the even wilder wilderness
called Chicagoland, and there discovered the tribe of RPGA. In 1995 he joined the leadership of this tribe, and
slew the previous leader to take over as 1997 began. He ruled the tribe like a benevolent dictator for several
years, but lost his mate and the fun of game-playing in the process. Eventually he rediscovered the fun of
playing, and abdicated before he too was killed by an ambitious comer-upper. Now he lives in Reno, and keeps
his fingers in the pie through convention planning and serving on the triad for his Living Greyhawk region. He
devotes his time to his new mate and their pack of dependent creatures.

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