VAMPIRES

Vampirism is an unnatural state forced upon a living creature. While the creation of each vampire is different from the next, the effect in Zatrikion is the same. From the moment the curse is unleashed upon another, an abomination is created, one that is no longer living and yet eternally alive. This creature has no soul and has lost his or her connection to humanity forever.

All - whole and half breed - faerie, demon, devil, celestial, construct, elemental, anthromorph and therianthrope characters can never be turned into a vampire. Attempts to turn one will result in irreversible death, not undeath.

Advantages:

Shape-Shifter: There are differences in sires, and there are differences in abilities. Most vampires can shapeshift into one or two other forms. These can be common creatures of the night like wolves and ravens, or forms of the elements like mist and shadow.

Accelerated Healing: Because of their unholy curse, vampires heal much faster than normal humans. Injuries that would take weeks to heal a living person, can be healed with a complete day's rest. Even injuries that would seem fatal to others can be rebuilt. There are two exceptions to this: Burns from sunlight, if the vampire was not destroyed, take weeks to regenerate and if the heart is destroyed, this is the only certain way to kill a vampire.

Fangs will regenerate. Regeneration is not something that is consciously controlled, so a vampire that has suffered multiple injuries cannot decide which will heal first.

Limbs that are severed from the main torso turn to dust and are lost. These lost limbs cannot be regenerated but they can be restored. A vampire that visits a necromancer or someone skilled in manipulating negative energies can rebuild lost limbs and restore extensive damage.

Hypnotism: As a predator, vampires have the ability to charm or control their prey. This requires that the vampire lock eye contact with the victim. The vampire must be able to communicate through words or gestures, and the target must be able to understand the vampire. The control is exerted by the vampire's will, and uses the Mind stat. It acts like a charm, meaning the vampire cannot force a person to do something that they consider life threatening or would threaten the life of someone they love.

Blood Drinking: ALL VAMPIRES MUST DRINK BLOOD. It can be that a vampire has decided to forgo drinking from humans and instead feeds from animals, but this is not something the vampire community as a whole accepts. Vampires that feed only from animals, including anthromorphs, are weaker and their body/mind stats top at 11. Blood is different from creature to creature. Drinking from anthromorphs is almost like drinking from animals, and most vampires do not care for the taste. Drinking from elves is much more enjoyable, and drinking from those touched with fae blood is sweetest of all. However, most of the time, vampires crave the blood of what they once were, finding it to be a somber reminder of what no longer pumps through their own veins.

Undead Traits: Like most undead, a vampire is immune to poison (this includes the effects of alcohol and drugs), sleep, paralysis, and disease. Also, a vampire has darkvision and can see at night. Vampires cannot eat food or drink anything but blood or bloodwyne, as the digestive tract no longer works.

Immortality: A vampire that takes care of his or her body can be immortal. At the time they are turned, they stop aging. This also means, in many ways, they stop evolving. Many vampires continue to cling to clothing and hair styles that they knew when they were alive, and often seem old fashioned. Keep in mind, that Auvrynon is not timeless. Civilization has existed only for about 300 years in the City of Gates, and as such any vampires from Auvrynon are younger than 300 years old.

Disadvantages:

Undeath: First and foremost, vampires are undead. They have no heartbeat, no soul, and are kept alive by a curse that prevents them from having a normal life. Animals and some humans can detect this unnatural state in them. Dogs in particular notice the taint of undead and will bark and snarl in warning when they see a vampire.

Eternal: Vampires are one of the few creatures that can exist forever, as long as they care for their bodies. That doesn't mean Vampires in Auvrynon have lived for thousands of years, though. Because Auvrynon hasn't existed for thousands of years. Avurynon has been around as a city for only 500 or so years. Any vampires older than this, had to have come from another world.

Mask of a Predator: Vampires are obviously undead, their skin is pale and cold, their eyes lack the luster of life within them. When in shadow, their eyes have the reflective glow of a predator. But when they smell or see blood, or when they have gone too long without blood, a demanding bloodlust overcomes them that is nearly impossible to control. Then, their eyes take on a milky blue light, their face contorts into a frightening visage, complete with an unholy black mask that surrounds their eyes. Their fangs snap into their longest state and their nails harden into claws. Throughout their body, their veins budge with thirst, outlining like black snakes under their skin. It is painful to resist the hunger, and terrifying to witness .

Sunlight Intolerance: Zatrikion vampires are not debilitated by daytime. They can be awake during daylight hours, but that doesn't give them tolerance for sunlight. All vampires must hide themselves from the sun because it will burn them, sometimes with explosive results. Burns from sunlight, if the vampire was not destroyed, take weeks to regenerate. They will be completely destroyed within 3 rounds of being outside. Vampires must either stay indoors or shield themselves from direct sunlight by magical means. It takes more than a cloak to protect them, as sunlight can pierce even the thickest veil when placed on vampiric skin. This item must be a physical object, not a tattoo or a spell.

Propagation by Spawn: While they might remain sexually active, vampires cannot have children. They can, however, turn other mortals into vampires. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A HALF VAMPIRE. A character is either alive or undead. There is no in between state.

Turning another is a process that varies between the bloodlines, but it is always something that has to be consciously achieved. In some way the human must be brought close to death, and in some way the curse must be transferred. It takes more than one feeding, and it cannot be accidental.

Turning back from vampire to mortal is impossible. There are no exceptions to this rule. Not even a wish will restore a vampire to a living state.

Compulsion: Every vampire has a physical compulsion or a price that they must pay for their unnatural state, and it is different for each bloodline. When a new vampire is created, it will be passed down from sire to child.

A compulsion is 'an irresistible impulse to act, regardless of the rationality of the motivation'.
Physical means that it is a function that must be acted upon. It can't be something that occurs within the character's mind.

Smoking cigarettes is not a compulsion. Having to sit down and smoke 5 cigarettes at the end of every combat situation, regardless of danger to self, rational or appearance, is a compulsion. "Must always tell the truth" is also not a compulsion.

Other examples of these:

Heart Nexus: The curse that falls upon an individual when they are turned centers itself upon the heart organ. While the heart stops and no longer beats, it is still an essential part of a vampire's anatomy. The blood vampires drink continue to nourish the seemingly lifeless organ, to give the vampire its strength and potentially endless unlife. The curse keeps blood flowing through a vampires body. This curse fuels their hunger, because the blood must be replenished. Without a heart, a vampire cannot exist and it is their greatest weakness. Destroying the heart, removing it from the body, or driving a stake of wood through it are the only sure ways of completely killing a vampire and ending their unholy existence.

Turning: Vampires can be driven back by those with true religious faith. Merely presenting a holy symbol is not enough, there must be honest belief behind the attempt. Vampires that are turned cannot advance upon those that are turning them. They must retreat and cannot attack that person again until the next night.

Forbiddance: Some spells can prevent vampires from entering certain areas. The Albatross Inn is one such area. No undead may enter it or attack it in any way.

Racial Purity: Vampires cannot become other types of undead. There are no vampire lich, nor are there any vampire ghosts. And this is because the spirit has already been lost and cannot be sacrificed a second time.

Toxic Blood: Above it all, vampirism is a curse. Vampire blood does not grant anything additional to a mortal, other than death. Vampire blood flows, but it is dark and evil. It oozes through the lifeless form that holds it, prolonging unlife. To the living, vampire blood is toxic. Not a drug, not a healing potion, not even something they want to come in contact with.

Being Turned into a Vampire: A character that has already been approved for chat can be turned into a vampire by another character. How this is done is up to the players but it must be a deliberate attempt and must be accepted by both players. This cannot be an accident IC and it cannot be a surprise OOC by either party. If both players accept the change then the character must be resubmitted through registration as a name change. List the same character name to be changed out and approved in both places. Information about the sire must be given. Also, all the above information must be stated so we know it is understood. The character's current stats will remain the same. This process is completely irreversable, and the character will forever be undead.