Partial Undeath

For evil wizards not ready, or unwilling to attempt the transformation into a lich, partial undeath offers an interesting middle ground. Through dark and bloody rituals, a character’s body parts can be infused with negative energy, causing them to fail, and be reanimated as though they were part of an undead creature. While the caster themselves remains alive–able to enjoy life as only the living can–the parts of them which have become undead confer powerful benefits which can give the caster great advantages.

Zombie Lungs

Requirements: Animate Dead, 2 Assistants, 10,000gp worth of materials.

A focus is required to complete this ritual, and it must come in direct contact with the lungs to be successful. Once completed, the target will not need to breathe in order to survive. They can survive indefinitely underwater, and become immune to any inhaled poisons.

Zombie Stomach

Requirements: Animate Dead, 2 Assistants, 7,000gp worth of materials.

As with the Zombie Lungs, a focus must come in contact with the stomach directly. Once the ritual is completed, the target will not need to eat to survive. They also become immune to ingested poisons.

Zombie Eyes

Requirements: Animate Dead, 3 Assistants, 12,000gp worth of materials.

The eyes must be temporarily removed from the head in order to accomplish this task. When the ritual is completed, the normally white color of the eyes turns to gray. The subject gains darkvision 60ft.

Skeleton Hands

Requirements: Animate Dead, 3 Assistants, 12,000gp worth of materials.

During this ritual, all the flesh must be cut from the hands, leaving nothing but the bone beneath. When it is completed, the subject will have a 1d4 claw attack.

Ghoul Tongue

Requirements: Create Undead, 2 Assistants, 30,000gp worth of materials.

Performing this ritual requires that the tongue be split, and stretched out of the mouth until it freely hangs past the lips. Once the ritual is completed, the subject’s tongue will produce the Ghoul Fever disease. The subject themselves will be immune to it, but if they bite a victim, and that victim fails their fortitude save, then they will rise as a zombie under the biter’s command. This ability does not allow a caster to exceed the normal amount of undead they would be able to control.

Mummy Eyes

Requirements: Create Undead, 4 Assistants, 40,000gp worth of materials.

Like Zombie Eyes, this ritual requires the eyes be fully removed from the head, and then re-inserted once the procedure is complete. Along with turning the white color of the eyes grey, Mummy Eyes causes the iris to turn red and become slightly luminescent. Not so much that it would be obvious in a well lit room, but enough to be visible in darkness, or candlelight. In addition to conferring the subject with darkvision up to 60ft, Mummy Eyes also grant the Despair ability described on page 210 of the Bestiary. The only difference is that the caster must make eye contact with their victim for the ability to come into effect.

Vampire Teeth

Requirements: Create Greater Undead, 4 Assistants, 70,000gp worth of materials, Vampire’s Teeth

Vampires cannot be created by common necromancers, so in order for this ritual to be successful, the teeth must be acquired from an already existing vampire, in addition to the ritual’s other components. These teeth are not grafted into the subject’s mouth, but ground up int an enamel which is applied to the subject’s teeth, and swallowed. Once the ritual is complete, the subject will be able to regain hit points by consuming the blood of the living. While biting a target, they may deal 1d6 damage per round, and heal that same amount.

Note that a the victim does not become a vampire, or any kind of undead, if they are killed by this ability.

Ghost Skin

Requirements: Create Greater Undead, 10 Assistants, 170,000gp worth of materials, a ghost.

This is among the most difficult grafts, even though ghosts are a relatively common form of undead. Because of the level of difficulty involved, an actual ghost must be somehow captured and used in the completion of this ritual, in addition to the ritual’s other components.

Performing this ritual is a grisly ordeal. The subject’s skin must be flayed from their body, and burned in a magical fire along with the ghost. The ash from the fire must then be collected and carefully applied to the skinless body of the subject. When the ritual is complete, this will create an illusory skin which will appear and feel completely normal, though any effects which dispel or disrupt illusions will allow people to see through the subject’s skin. Many casters view this as an acceptable sacrifice, however, since the end result of this ritual is the ability to become incorporeal at will.

Bow Before The Great Pumpkin

My post on mechanics for the gods is still among the best I think I’ve ever written. It is detailed, without becoming complicated. I very much enjoy detailing my deities using the rules presented there, and below is a god appropriate to the season.

The Great Pumpkin

The Grin in the Dark

Lesser Deity (Divine Rank 2)
Holy Symbol An Orange circle with a smile made of of fire at the bottom.
Home Plane 402nd layer of the Abyss
Alignment Chaotic Evil
Major Portfolio Trickery
Minor Portfolio The Season of Fall, Those who Hide
Domains Trickery, Plant
Worshipers Rogues, Rangers, Druids, Squash Farmers
Clerical Alignments CE, NE, CN
Favored Weapons Concealable Blades, and poison.

The Great Pumpkin is a little-known deity whose sphere of influence is limited to agrarian areas which rely heavily upon fall crops. He is rarely seen, because he rarely wishes to be seen. When he does appear, it is as a pumpkin standing upon a dozen vines which serve as both arms and legs. A wicked, grinning faces is carved into the pumpkin, and iluminated from behind by a yellow light. The face appears to be static, but frequently changes when no one is looking.

Dogma The Great Pumpkin admonishes his followers to do whatever they must to ensure that they thrive and their enemies do not. He also teaches that if your enemies know that you are their enemy, thriving will be much more difficult for you. Furthermore, if you focus on thriving only within your family, then your family may falter within your community. If you focus on thriving within your community, enemies from without may surprise you. Be aware of who wishes you ill, and never risk long term survival on a short term goal. Unless you can succeed at both.

Clergy and Temples The Great Pumpkin, being a god of subtlety, prefers that no lasting structure be publicly dedicated to him. Worshipers gather in pumpkin fields in the dead of night to pray and offer sacrifices to their god. Once a year, during the harvest season, a temporary church is built late at night, from dried and bound stalks of corn. Here the most important sacrifices of the year–often children–are offered to the dark god. In exchange for this sacrifice The Great Pumpkin blesses his worshipers with good fortune. Once the structure has served its purpose, it is burned to the ground until next year.

History

Not so long ago as you might think, a small farming community existed far beyond human civilization. The people there rarely traveled away from their small, interconnected villages. They did not need to. Their soil was rich, and they produced ample food to support themselves. Shortly after the founders settled there, the community made an alliance with a coven of elven druids. It is rare that settling humans and druids get along with one another. But these humans were uncommonly happy to adapt themselves to the druid’s viewpoint and in exchange the druids helped them to cultivate the land responsibly. Teaching them to live as part of nature, rather than simply living among nature.

For several human generations this arrangement continued happily, with the druids taking on the role of community leaders. The humans, for their part, were happy to tend their crops, and live simple lives. But then new humans came. They came as humans always come to the edges of civilization: as conquerors. The human drive to expand meant that the lands shared by druids and settlers must be tamed. The inhabitants tried to fight back against the encroaching battalion, but they had no skill for war.

The druids bade their followers gather in a large pumpkin field, where together they would summon a powerful nature’s ally to defend their land. A thousand or more gathered to participate in the summoning, unaware that the evil leader of the druids intended to sacrifice them all so that he might summon a guardian of great power. The ritual began, and the masses prayed whilst the high druid wove his spells. The process continued for an hour, growing louder and more impassioned, until just as it reached its climax–

An arrow flew from the darkness and struck the high druid in the head.

The invading battalion, in full force, charged the field. They seemed prepared the slaughter the innocent villagers and remaining druids. But they had let their arrow fly too late. The ritual was completed. Their shouts of victory turned to confusion and horror as vines leaped up from the field to drag them to the ground, strangling soldiers and horses alike. The entire invading force was left gasping for breath as the life was wrung out of them. But this was not salvation for the settlers, for the vines grasped incandescently. Everyone who stood in the field that night: soldiers, farmers, druids, and generals; all died gasping for air at the culmination of the summoning ritual.

And when the last body ceased twitching, the Great Pumpkin rose up out of his pumpkin patch.

Evil Rituals

Evil rituals will show up in any fantasy themed adventure game from time to time. Maybe some cultists are trying to summon their lovecraftian god, or perhaps they’re attempting to transform their high priest into a huge monster. Either way, the GM will need to produce a ritual for the players to try and stop.

The way I see it, each ritual has three essential elements: preparation, preamble, and catalyst. There are also a fourth element which is optional: Timing. While not all rituals will require it, sometimes they will only work if they are performed at a certain time, such as during a full moon, when the planets align, or on the anniversary of an important event.

The preparation for a ritual may involve gathering the necessary components, or learning an ancient incantation which must be spoken for the ritual to succeed. Strictly speaking the preparatory phase is not part of the ritual proper, but it is vital to the success of the ritual. Additionally, the preparation phase is frequently how the players will learn about an upcoming evil ritual, and it serves as the best opportunity to nip the villain’s evil plans in the bud.

When the time for the ritual actually arrives, it begins with the preamble, which can go on for a long while The length serves two purposes. First, it lends greater weight to the upcoming catalyst portion of the ritual. This buildup is essential, because nothing of great importance is accomplished quickly. Secondly, the duration of the preamble is the only period of time when the ritual has begun, but has not yet resulted in anything really bad happening. This gives time for the players to act to stop the ritual, which can be exciting.

The final phase of a ritual is the catalyst. This is short, generally a single action which will trigger whatever end result the ritual was intended to produce. If the cultists are summoning their evil god, then the moment the catalyst action is performed, then the portal will open, and the dark god will step through it.

Below are ideas for the preamble and catalyst of an evil ritual. Mix and match as you choose! A ritual could even combine multiple preambles together, as many real world religious ceremonies do. Additionally, almost any of these rituals could require a certain number of people to participate.

Preamble

Reading from an important book: Sacred texts have great power, particularly in religious ceremonies. But an arcane ceremony could also include this trope. Perhaps a wizard summoning a demon must read that demon’s 20-page true name in its entirety before the demon will respond.

Singing/Chanting: While it may sound a little silly to sing at a ritual, this is actually quite common in many real world rituals. Imagine, for example, most christian ceremonies. They include a great deal of singing. Many Native American rituals do as well.

Praying: Normally a very particular prayer would need to be said, one which glorifies the being who will choose to grant, or not grant, the ritual’s end result.

Telling a story, giving a speech: Storytelling has long been an important part of human culture. To use a real world example, imagine that those performing the ritual wished to ask Heracles to bestow his strength upon them for an upcoming battle. Part of that ritual may involve a recitation of the 12 labors of Heracles.

Torture: The victim here could either be willing or unwilling, and the torture need not end in death. Perhaps the victim of the torture will even end up being the beneficiary of the ritual’s gifts. The god must see that the person they are empowering is willing to endure suffering.

Creating An Appropriate Environment: If done ritualistically (especially in combination with one of the other Preamble elements above) this could be part of the ritual itself, rather than part of the ritual’s preparation. Imagine, for example, a dozen cultists painting arcane symbols on their bodies, while a high priest chants the words of a magic spell.

Catalyst

Sacrifice: The numerous ways in which a victim could be sacrificed could be a post unto itself. Nearly any way a person could be killed might be used in an evil ritual. I, personally, would avoid the cliche of tying the person to an altar and stabbing them with a ceremonial knife. Be creative, and make the catalyst match the theme. If the cultists are summoning a tidal wave to wipe out a city, then drown the victim. If they’re summoning the god of snakes, then have them kill the victim with poison snakes.

Sex: This one works best if the result of the evil ritual is being applied to the child which is being conceived at the time. By having sex under the full moon while a dozen cultists chant prayers to The God of Horribleness, the child will be born as the Avatar of Horribleness.

Inducting New Members: Evil religions make a big to-do out of bringing new members into the fold. At the conclusion of an evil ritual, a new member could be baptized (whatever that means for the particular religion), thus increasing the number of the evil god’s followers.

Desecration of a Holy Object: Destroying a sacred artifact of great power, or otherwise desecrating something which radiates holy magic is sure to please any evil god, and weaken the followers of good.

Cannibalism: It’s difficult to imagine an act more evil than this. Once a person eats another, there can be no redemption for them. So it makes the perfect centerpiece to an evil ritual.

5 Killer Curses

Curses don’t show up in tabletop games as often as you might think they would. Traditionally, curses are placed on tombs to prevent grave robbers from stealing the wealth which is buried there, right? But adventurers rob tombs all the time; the worst they ever need to deal with is an animated corpse. And while placing a curse on everything would be a massive time sink which would ultimately not be any fun, a curse here or there could add variety to game play. Sitting down with a notepad just now, I came up with five curses in about 15 minutes which I think would be interesting to use in a game.

Forgive me if this post lacks any of my usual style. As I write this, I am immensely tired.

Mummy’s Curse: Probably the most iconic of curses, the curse of the mummy is simple. When you break into a tomb under the protection of this curse and take something, the mummy rises from the dead. It then hunts you down, kills you, and retrieves what you stole. In D&D, however, mummies are really just another type of undead creature, rather than being part of a curse. They are described as a guardian creature, and are able to spread the curse/disease of Mummy Rot, but there’s nothing which matches the traditional Abbot and Costello style curse.

I propose that, while mummies can exist anywhere, they are most commonly created when a tomb must be protected against robbery. When that is the case, the doors to the tomb are sealed with magics which bestow the curse of the mummy upon trespassers. While the curse is active, the mummy who protects hte tomb which was trespassed upon will always be aware of the location of all of those who bear the curse, and will hunt them, or be destroyed in trying.

Destroyer’s Curse: When a sacred object such as a statue or talisman is broken, sometimes it will confer a curse to the character responsible for breaking it. Until the curse is removed, the character will find that they cannot handle anything safely. Everything they touch with their hands breaks. If they pick up a sword, the blade and pommel will fall apart, leaving the object useless. If they try to don clothing or armor, cloth will tear and straps will snap.

The power of this curse has limits. It cannot be used to destroy a wall or mountain. A rock will not crumble into pebbles simply because it is touched by the character. A good rule of thumb is that tools, weapons, and other items which would commonly be found in a character’s equipment will break if touched. While anything larger than the character themselves will probably be immune.

Captain’s Curse: A spiteful warlock may place a curse upon a position of authority, such as the mayor’s office of a certain town, the captaincy of a ship, or even just the king’s chef. When a job is covered by a captain’s curse, anyone who takes the job will mysteriously end up dead the moment they start trying to do the job competently. For example if the king’s chef made a delicious stew, then somehow they would end up falling into the pot and drowning.

When a position is afflicted by a Captain’s Curse, anyone who fills that role must do their best to perform their job incompetently, lest they become victims of the curse. A captain’s curse cannot be dispelled simply by using Dispell Magic. Normally a more involved decursing ritual is required.

Curse of Secrecy: Sometimes, knowledge itself may be cursed. This would be extremely unusual, as casting a spell on a concept is a difficult task. But for a dark god who wishes to keep their true name a secret, for example, it would be an easy feat.

Anyone who learns a piece of cursed knowledge will find that it is the only secret they can keep. They will be unable to speak a word to anyone about the cursed knowledge, but every other secret they know will constantly fall out of their m omouthes during casual conversation. If remove curse is cast, then the secret which originally caused the curse is forgotten as well.

Broken Mirror: A classic curse bestowing act. A broken mirror is, traditionally, seven years of bad luck. This is nothing but hokum. Breaking a mirror has no effects on a character’s luck. Breaking a magical mirror, however, has significant consequences. A doppleganger of the character will form out of the shards of broken glass within seven weeks of the mirror being destroyed. If the shards are seperated, then the largest group of them will fopminto the doppleganger with no loss of strength. Once it is created, the creature will have but one mission: to find punish the person whose face they wear.

Magical Marvels 8: The Greatsword of Horrid Dreams

Once long ago, an evil wizard summoned a demon into the world, intending to use the demon’s grisly might in a nefarious scheme for power. The wizard’s plans were foiled, however, by a daring paladin who had hunted the wizard for weeks. She assaulted his sanctum, and he bade his demon to attack her while he fled. The battle between the paladin and the demon was fierce, but ultimately the paladin was victorious. She swung her greatsword down into the demon’s head, lodging it so tightly between the beasts eyes that she could not pull it free. Not wishing to allow the wizard to escape, the paladin drew a short sword, and ran after him. Whatever happened to her and the wizard is unknown, but there is no doubt of this much: she never came back for the sword.

Normally when a demon is slain on the material plane, their soul fades away, and is reformed anew within the Abyss. But the greatsword lodged within the demon’s brain was powerfully enchanted. Among many abilites which it granted its wielder were spells to seal evil, and to prevent travel between planes. And though the blade now had no wielder, these magics none the less prevented the demon from returning to its home plane. Trapped within a dead body, all the fiend could do was dream.

For centuries dreams of slaughter and chaos unparalleled dominated the demon’s half-conscious mind. Over the ages, the flesh of the demon rotted away, leaving naught but bones, the blade, and the pulsing brain in which the greatsword was buried. The dreams of the demon began to corrupt the blade, sapping at the purity of the paladin’s weapon until none remained. When the greatsword was finally recovered by an adventurer, over 700 years after it was placed there, it had become a fully evil thing. And as the demon’s soul fled back into the abyss, it took some small comfort knowing its centuries of imprisonment had produced an item which would sow chaos among mortals.

The Greatsword of Horrid Dreams is unique among weapons, because in order to access its full potential, it must have two wielders. When in the hands of most people, the blade appears to be a bright shade of blood red, and grants the wielder abilities very useful to physical combat. When in the hands of a caster able to cast 5th level spells or higher, the blade’s color takes on a purple hue, and the wielder gains access to a completely different set of powers.

The Greatsword of Horrid Dreams (Warrior’s Blade)
Artifact Greatsword

PHYSICAL ATTACKS

(Blade)(Attack) +4
(Blade)(Damage) 2d6 + 4 (Slashing)(18-20/x2) plus Curse of Horrid Dreams

SPELLS GRANTED

At Will – Dimensional Anchor, cast by holding the blade so that the hilt faces towards the target. When the command word “You will not flee.” is spoken, red and black tendrils of light emerge from the crossguard of the blade, enveloping the target and creating a barrier around them which prevents planar travel according to the rules of the spell as written on page 270 of the PFCRB.

1/1d4 minutes – Bestow Curse, cast by tilling the target “You will X,” where X is a word or phrase which represents the curse. To use the examples given in the PFCRB, if you wish to decrease the targets wisdom by 6, you might say “You will die a fool,” whereas if you wished to give your target a 50% chance to take no action on their turn, you might say “You will falter before my power!” This ability otherwise follows the rules and limitations laid out on page 247 of the PFCRB.

3/Day – Hallucinatory Terrain, cast by twirling the blade in your hands (requiring a dexterity score of at least 10 to accomplish) and saying “Battle amidst a demon’s dream.” The only terrain which this use of the spell can create is a hellscape, battlefield, or other place a demon might dream of. It otherwise functions as the spell on page 293 of the PFCRB, as cast by a 12th level caster.

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Psychic strike – 5/day, the wielder of The Greatsword of Horrid Dreams may channel the power of their own horrid dreams into their attacks. By dwelling on a horrifying dream which has plagued them in the past, they can add their wisdom score to both their attack and damage rolls for that round. Use of this ability must be announced prior to the attack roll being made. Psychic strike does not function on any foe which cannot feel fear, such as a foe which is mindless, or a construct.
Curse of Horrid Dreams – Anytime a target takes damage from the Greatsword of Horrid Dreams, they must succeed on a will save (DC: 14 + the wielder’s wisdom bonus). This curse has no effect on its own. However, in order for most of the Caster’s Blade abilities to function, the target must already be afflicted with the curse of horrid dreams.

APPEARANCE

The most obviously unusual feature of The Greatsword of Horrid dreams is its length. The blade is a full two feet longer than most greatswords. Furthermore, it appears to have been made from stained glass, and is even partially transparent near edges. A quick test will reveal, however, that the blade is as strong as adamantium, and as sharp as a razor. While in the Warrior’s Blade state, the entire sword–blade, hilt, crossguard and all–are different shades of blood red which shift and move across the surface of the weapon. It is important to note that despite its obviously magical appearance, the blade emits no light whatsoever.

The Greatsword of Horrid Dreams (Caster’s Blade)
Artifact Greatsword

PHYSICAL ATTACKS

(Blade)(Attack)+1
(Blade)(Damage) 2d6 + 1 (Slashing)(19-20/x2)

SPELLS GRANTED

At Will – Dream, Cast by whispering the name of the person which you wish to send to, this spell functions as written on page 274 of the PFCRB

1/Day – Nightmare, Cast by opening a small wound on the blade’s edge and whispering the name of the person which you wish to cast the spell upon. The spell functions as written on page 316 of the PFCRB

1/week – Gate, cast by crying out in a booming voice “Ready the path to glory!” This version of the spell can only open portals to the Abyss, which remain open for as long as the caster concentrates on them. Otherwise it functions as the spell found on page 288 of the PFCRB.

3/day – Phantasmal Killer, cast by telling the target “Your very nightmares themselves serve me!” The spell functions as written on page 319 of the PFCRB.

SPECIAL ABILITIES

See Cursed – At any time while holding the Greatsword of Horrid Dreams, a caster able to cast 5th level spells or higher can close their eyes, and see the face of each person afflicted by The Curse of Horrid Dreams in turn. The face is shown in real time, but the image includes no audio or background. So it is possible to tell if the victim is alive or dead, awake or asleep, etc. But little more information than that can be determined.
Insomnia – By concentrating on anyone afflicted by The Curse of Horrid Dreams for 1 hour, the caster can prevent the victim from sleeping for the next 24. Insomnia can be used to cause severe fatigue in victims, but never death. If the victim would die from lack of sleep, then the magic of the insomnia effect is broken.
Dream Invasion – By concentrating on a sleeping victim afflicted by The Curse of Horrid Dreams, the caster can observe that victim’s dreams. The ability of the caster to interpret those dreams depends greatly on how well the caster knows the victim. If they are complete strangers, there is a 30% chance that the caster will be able to determine any relevant information about that person. For acquaintances that chance rises to 50%, for people who are known well such as friends or rivals the chance increases to 60%. For close friends or family members, the chances increase to 70%.
Horrid Dreams – By concentrating on a sleeping target, the caster may enter their dreams and torture them from within their own mind. Functionally this ability works like the Phantasmal Killer spell, save that the caster themself is the object of horror, and the spell can be cast from any distance so long as the target is afflicted by The Curse of Horrid Dreams, and is asleep. The victim is entitled to a will save against the caster (at a -2 penalty) to disbelieve the illusion. If they fail, they must succeed on a fortitude save or die from fear. Even if this fortitude save is successful, the victim takes 3d6 damage, as well as losing 1 point of wisdom permanently.

APPEARANCE

The appearance of the Caster’s Blade is identical to that of the Warrior’s Blade, save that the color changes from shades of red, to shades of purple. The purple coloring of the blade is depicted in the artwork above.

Vampiric Classifications 2: Types

Last week I posted regarding Vampiric Hierarchy, detailing how the hidden society of vampires interact with one another in my campaign worlds. With that out of the way, I’ll move on to specific vampire types, and a broad generalization about what those types represent. But that’s all which can be offered here: generalizations. A player would be a fool to assume two vampires of the same type will present the same challenge, because the curse of the nosferatu affects each of its victims in a unique way. As the great monster hunter Van Richten wrote, “Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a ‘typical vampire.’ Vampires are perhaps the most individualistic of undead. What is true for one is an outright–and dangerously misleading–falsehood for another.”

Types According to Hierarchical Ranking

Fledgelings are newly created vampires, and the lowest on the vampiric hierarchy. Since vampires gain in power as they progress in age, a fledgelings powers are understandably weak compared to most of their brethren. Their strength and spell-like abilities have not yet come into their full potential. Each fledgeling develops at a different rate, but it is common for the vampire’s physical abilities–great strength and speed, the ability to climb walls as a spider would, resistance to mundane weapons, etc.–to be available immediately upon the vampire’s creation. While the more mystical and subtle of a vampire’s abilities, such as domination or changing shape, often take longer to develop. Conversely, all of a vampire’s weaknesses are in full effect immediately after a fledgelings creation, and in most cases the fledgeling is significantly more vulnerable to them than a more powerful vampire would be. While a vampire Lord, for example, might survive several seconds in sunlight, a vampire fledgeling would be instantly incinerated by it.

Coven Vampire. Though stronger than fledgelings, coven vampires are considered weak because they were unable to rise to the rank of soldier or lord/lady. Most commonly, coven vampires live in groups of 5-30, though larger covens have been known to exist. A coven vampire’s abilities are developed more fully than a fledgeling’s, but coven vampires cannot create spawn. In a game like Pathfinder, coven vampires would not have PC class levels.

Soldiers are most likely the vampires which you find under “V” in your Bestiary, Monster Manual, or what have you. They are fearsome foes with full mastery of all the basic vampire abilities. They can create fledgelings if they so choose, but the creation of fledgelings is often considered a declaration that the Vampire wishes to establish themselves as a Lord or Lady in their own right. Despite the title ‘soldier,’ this rank does not necessarily imply that the vampire fills a combat role. In addition to bodyguards and warriors, soldier vampires can include advisers, diplomats, or even consorts. A fully developed vampire who is in direct service to their Lord or Lady is termed a soldier, regardless of specific occupation.

Lord and Lady vampires are undead aristocracy. They rule over impressive lairs or even castles. Occasionally they will even rule over a populace of the living, keeping their unlife a secret by shrouding themselves behind layers of bureaucracy, or using a trusted majordomo to carry out their edicts. Vampiric Lords and Ladies have grown in power beyond anything which could be called ‘typical.’ It is at this level of power which a vampire’s unique traits truly begin to emerge. Some vampires gain physical prowess in the extreme, becoming far stronger and faster even than their already strong and fast fellows. Others may gain unnatural mystical prowess, allowing them to call upon more powerful versions of their spell like abilities, or even developing new abilities altogether. Still others may actually become resistant to their vampire weaknesses, allowing them to ignore the upheld holy symbol of a cleric, or walk freely across running water. And the older a vampire grows, the more powerful they will inevitably become.

First is a rank which cannot be achieved through a vampire’s growing power. While even a commoner could rise to the level of Vampire Lord if they had enough ambition and talent, the rank of First Lord and First Lady is reserved for those who are a direct descendent of the Highlord or Queen of their bloodline. And while a Lord or Lady’s power may be immense, the power of a first dwarfs it. The purity of the curse which afflicts a vampiric first allows them to evolve at twice the speed of any vampires they or their descendents create.

Highlords and Queens are without peer. Often they are so powerful, that they are immune to typical vampire weaknesses. Even sunlights, while painful and disorienting, cannot destroy without prolonged exposure. These rulers of vampiric bloodlines frequently have unique and devastating powers. For example, The Blind Empress, a vampiric queen, was actually capable of causing a solar eclipse, allowing herself and her vampire warriors to devastate rival bloodlines easily by attacking them during the day. Highlords and Queens also develop physical changes as well. To again use The Blind Empress as an example, she had permanent wings, and skin which cut like a blade.

Anomalous Types

Feral Vampires are hungry. They have been without any blood for months, or even years, and they have lost their grip on reality. A feral vampire is a beast who pursues blood without a thought for subtlety or personal safety. Mind you, feral vampires will not foolishly destroy themselves, and they maintain enough intelligence to recognize and avoid danger. But they will brazenly attack in plain view of dozens of people, and they are not very good at keeping track of how much time they have remaining until sunrise. The only cure for a feral vampire is to consume massive amounts of blood. The equivalent of about 100-200 people in the space of a week. Any fledgelings created by a feral vampire will be feral themselves, and incurable.

When a vampire goes feral, it draws a great deal of attention to itself. For this reason, feral vampires are typically hunted down and killed by other vampires. The last thing anybody wants is for one vampire to go on a killing spree, and inspire a dozen towns to put bounties on vampire teeth.

Recovered Feral vampires are uncommon, since most are either killed by those they wish to hunt, or by their fellow vampires. However, it does occur, and when it does the effects of their feral period are not kind to the vampire’s appearance. Their face becomes much more sunken, and their teeth and fingers both become much longer, even to the point of being somewhat unwieldy. While most vampires are able to pass for human if the need arises, a feral vampire would be unable to do that without great difficulty. They appear much more like an animated corpse than their fellows, and will always lust for blood more than a typical vampire would. Recovered ferals are generally looked down upon within vampire society.

Rhonin Vampires are a rare breed. Somehow they managed to overcome the powerful magics which prevent a vampire from ever attacking their master. Every time their attention was diverted, or they lost consciousness, they powered through, until they had broken the magic’s hold over them. At this ponit they are already dangerously unbalanced, and the final act of killing their own master drives them fully into maddness. They become completely severed from their bloodline. Normally they are left to their own devices, and their maddness is used as a deterring example to other vampires.

Damphyr, or ‘half vampires’ can come about in several ways, none of them common. A pregnant woman who is turned into a fledgeling, for example, will not give birth to a full vampire, since the child was already partially formed prior to her transformation. Likewise, it is sometimes possible for congress between a vampire and a living mortal to result in pregnancy. The child who is born part vampire does not have access to the full range of vampiric abilities, but does have many of the traits of their vampiric parent, though to a lesser degree. Damphyrs are also afflicted by a vampire’s weaknesses, though again, to a lesser degree than their parent. A Damphyr can go out in daylight, for example, but will find the experience both painful and disorienting. If a damphyr refrains from consuming blood, then both their powers, and their weaknesses, will lessen over time, allowing them to live as a normal member of their species. If at any time they do consume blood, though, their powers will return in full force.

Survivor Vampire. After a vampire is nearly destroyed by one of its weaknesses, they occasionally develop an illness which incapacitates them for weeks. This illness is extremely painful and draining, requiring the vampire to feed a great deal more often than normal. When the illness ends, the vampire will find they have become resistant to the harmful agent which caused the illness. For example, a vampire who was nearly destroyed by sunlight would be able to last in sunlight for up to a minute without dying. Or a vampire who was doused in holy water would find they now had greater resistance to holy magics.

Revenant – Spectral vampires. The exact method of their creation is unknown, but it is suspected that they are destroyed vampires who have been reanimated through the most powerful and evil necromatic magics imaginable. Revenants lose the ability to create spawn, as well as any interest in participating in the political machinations of vampire society. They are indiscriminate death-dealers who spread disease and discord wherever they go. In many ways they are like feral vampires. But while ferals are driven by hunger to become beasts without intellect, revenants are driven by hate to become beasts without affection or restraint.

1st Annual Papers & Pencils Reader Census Results

And now a brief interruption to the recent Halloween themed postings.

Over two months ago, I put up a reader census for the 1st year anniversary of Papers & Pencils. My plan, at the time, was to run the census for a little over a week, then shut it down, and quickly generate a bunch of graphs comparing the data. The first part worked out alright. During the week that the census was open I received 38 responses. Which may not be a broad enough group of respondents for a meaningful statistical analysis, but it is a significant percentage of my estimated readership, so I was happy. I wouldn’t trust any statistical analysis I performed anyway.

Then began the wrestling with how to make graphs. Either I’m remarkably incompetent, or this is a much more difficult task than it ought to be. And as time consuming as the process was, my procrastination instincts kicked in. Until here we are: very close to three months after the fact, and I haven’t discussed the results yet. Because I am a bad person. It has been so long at this point that it seems a little weird for me to be posting this at all. But there are some responses here which I think deserve to be shared. Particularly some of the comments. So I’m just going to post and comment upon these results without graphs, and without comparison. Hopefully I can figure out how to do this more efficiently when it comes time for the 2013 census!

Are you a regular reader of Papers & Pencils?

Yes, I read most posts. (21)
Yes, I read every post. (10)
I read the site occasionally. (7)

How do you access P&P’s Posts?

I keep the website bookmarked. (18)
I have Papers & Pencils in my RSS Reader. (17)
I get updates via twitter. (2)
Just check every few days. (1)

What is your tabletop game of choice? (Multiple selections allowed)

Oldschool D&D, or a Retroclone similar to it (17)
Pathfinder (16)
3rd Edition D&D (10)
4th Edition D&D (3)
Almost anything (3)
My own (2)
Don’t have a favorite (1)
White Wolf World of Darkness (1)
“none” (1)

I’m pretty surprised I have so many 4th edition players among my readers. Hello, peoples!

How long have you been reading Papers & Pencils?

Started in August-September 2011, when the site was rarely updated (4)
Started in October-November, when the site was updated 5/week (2)
Started in December-February 2011, before the site moved off Blogger (5)
Started reading before June, in 2012 (16)
Started reading during or after June 2012 (12)

How did you first find Papers & Pencils?

Through a web search. (12)
Via a link posted by -C on Hack & Slash (6)
Don’t remember (4)
Followed a link on Twitter (3)
Via the blogroll of another tabletop blog. (3)
Was referred by a friend. (2)
I’m a personal friend of LS (2)
Met LS in real life, was given a business card. (1)
Via a post linked on Reddit. (1)
I am -C (1)
The Link from Penny Arcade (1)
Saw LS’ comment on another site. (1)
May of the Dead Carnival (1)

That is not a real answer, Courtney. >:(

Are you a blogger yourself?

No, I’m not a blogger(22)
Yes, I also blog about tabletop games. (10)
Yes, but I blog about a topic other than tabletop games. (6)

What is your level of involvement with tabletop gaming?

Game Master (19)
Passionate Beginner (8)
Aspiring Professional (4)
Avid Player (3)
Casual (3)
Professional in the tabletop gaming industry. (1)

Dude, one of my readers is a pro? That’s awesome. Tell me that’s not awesome, guys.

What new topics would you be interested in reading about on Papers & Pencils? (Multiple selections allowed)

Amateur Game Design (13)
A larger variety of RPG Systems (11)
Nothing new, please! I like what you cover already.(11)
Book Reviews(10)
War Games (5)
Card games (4)
Board Games (3)

These are all topics which I’m interested in, and may write more about or not. It’s good to know there is at least some interest in each of them. Particularly the top 3, which are the 3 which I’m most interested in writing about. I do worry that I may not have been clear with “Nothing new, please! I like what you cover already,” because many people selected both that option, and several others.

I tend to ramble quite a bit before getting to the point of a given post. As a reader, how do you feel about this?

It is entertaining. (38)
It is annoying. (0)

Maybe people were worried about hurting my feelings with this one? Honestly, I’ve long felt it is poor style for me to ramble the way I do. But if 100% of people who participated actually enjoy my round-about way of expressing myself, then perhaps I oughtn’t worry about it.

Do you comment on the site’s posts?

No, I do not comment. (14)
Yes, occasionally. (11)
I have, once or twice. (8)
Yes, often! (1)

I’m really glad that so many people who don’t normally comment on the site were willing to fill out the form. I understand that often you don’t feel like you have anything to say in response to a post, or you don’t have time to comment on all the posts you read. The fact that you read my writing is more than enough for me.

And to those of you who do comment, thank you. I know it’s silly of me to think this way, but if Papers & Pencils goes for a week or so without getting any new comments, I begin to feel as though nobody is reading any more.

What is your gender?

Male (32)
Female (4)
“Just Kidding!” (1)

This says some depressing things about the way our hobby welcomes women. Either that, or it says some depressing things about the inclusiveness of my writing.

Either way, I’m going to do what I can to improve upon that going forward through the next year.

How would you rate P&P’s fiction posts, including the Friday characters, items, monsters & locations?

1 out of 5 ()2 out of 5 (4)
3 out of 5 (7)
4 out of 5 (11)
5 out of 5 (13)

How would you rate P&P’s posts which focus on game mechanics and system critique?

1 out of 5 ()2 out of 5 ()
3 out of 5 (6)
4 out of 5 (16)
5 out of 5 (14)

How would you rate P&P’s posts which contemplate gaming philosophies?

1 out of 5 ()2 out of 5 ()
3 out of 5 (7)
4 out of 5 (16)
5 out of 5 (14)

These three questions were probably my least well considered. To be frank, I’m not even sure how I would classify posts in which I “Contemplate gaming philosophies.” I was trying to break down the various types of posts I do into as few categories as possible, so people could rate them. But I don’t think I succeeded in asking good questions here.

Though it does make me happy to see that everything is so heavily weighted towards the positive. I love you too, readers!

After clearing out a cave filled with violent orcs, you and your party come upon a large group of orc babies. What do you do?

Find someone else to care for them. (10)
Raise them as your own. (6)
Leave them to their fates. (5)
Find an Orc to care for them (4)
Kill them. (3)
Find an Orc to care for them–But make sure it’s far from civilization. (1)
I’m usually the DM, and I don’t put orc babies in my games. (1)
Depends on the GM. (1)
Depends on the party. (1)
What alignment am I? (1)
Enslave them. (1)
Roast a few to see if orc jerky tastes good, then deal with the rest. (1)

This is a question which comes up now and again. The apparent conflicts which rise around it have inspired me to be clear with my players about the kind of game worlds I run. They are worlds where monstrous humanoids are often evil, but it is a socialized, not an inherent, trait. The write in answers are arranged from least to most evil for my game world.

What is your level of education?

In Highschool (2)
In College (12)
Associates Degree/Professional Certification (4)
Bachelor’s Degree (9)
Some Graduate School (3)
Master’s Degree (5)

I must apologize for this question. It was pointed out to me several days after the census went up that I was missing an option for “Highschool Graduate.” That was foolish of me, and possibly insulting to those who chose not to pursue further academic goals after highschool. I will not make that mistake again.

What is your age?

18-25 (13)
25-35 (18)
36-45 (5)
46-55 (1)

How frequently do you play tabletop games?

Don’t have a group right now, but want one! (2)
Rarely (2)
Monthly (3)
Bi-Weekly (7)
Weekly (15)
More than once per week (7)

Do you play tabletop games online, or off?

I only play offline (16)
I play offline whenever I can, but enjoy playing online as well. (15)
I have no group to play with at all! (3)
I can’t find an offline group, so I play online. (3)

How long does a typical game session last?

1-3 Hours (10)
4-6 Hours (24)
7-9 Hours (1)

Individual Comments

I like your distinct lack of 4th edition, but the way you still consider it’s points.

Thank you. I honestly have very little experience with 4th edition, but I’ve found very little I consider valuable in what I have read. I do not like the direction the development was taken. That being said, one would have to be a fool to act as though every idea that went into 4th edition was a bad one.

[Your] face is very “grey-beard in training”; take that as you will.

Recognizing that you prefer not to tie yourself to one system or another, the over-all resistance to engaging in a deeper discussion of how your thoughts or ideas might be applied to a particular system (as it has occasionally come up in comments), is a bit off-putting.

I’m pretty sure I know exactly which post, and which comment, you are referring to, since to my knowledge this has only ever come up once. To be clear, I do not avoid tying myself to a specific system most of the time. Sometimes, though, I write about an idea which is purely theoretical, which I may perhaps use in a future game system of my own design. In those cases, discussing the idea within the context of a specific system is often not very productive.

But your point is well taken. I sometimes become defensive when my ego is bruised, and that is a weakness of mine which I must improve upon. If I have made you or anyone uncomfortable because I was being overzealous in defense of my ideas, I do apologize.

While I was reading your Ding Two post, I looked at the articles you felt were bad. I think you are too hard on yourself, but as a fellow writer, I understand the drive for improvement and the need for self-criticism. Buy give yourself a break! It’s a blog you do for fun and for free.

I confess that anytime I write a bad post or miss my own deadlines, my imagination tends to blow things out of proportion. As though everyone who reads the blog is furious at me for failing to live up to my own expectations. Your reassurances are appreciated!

When searching in the archives it would be helpful to have page numbers we can use to find a post we are looking for. And on that topic, what about a search bar.

Page numbers is an interesting idea. I’m not sure how it would work (please elaborate if you’re reading) but I’ll take it under advisement. A search bar, as well as other methods to improve ease-of-navigation, are being worked on.

Stated reading around end early July, went from the beginning post and read every post through to now. Enjoy your colourful sense of humour. You and a lot of other blogs have made me want to make my own, even if it’s only got a few posts to get things off my head. And yes I’m shamelessly plugging: http://clockworkwizard.blogspot.com.au/

Also, as a scientist, a census refers to compulsory information being taken from every unit within a population. A census would require the survey be taken by reader visiting the site, and not just those who chose to fill it in. So it’s actually the Papers & Pencils 2012 Survey. Unless you could measure the number of people who accessed the site and didn’t do the survey, in which you could reduce non-sampling error by including non-participation as a behavioral based, observational category.

Of course, I’m being lighthearted, and would have written census myself 😛

What a sneaky way to get a link from my website!

It’s pretty awesome to have a scientist among my readership. I actually didn’t know about that distinction between census and survey, so that’s useful information. Though, like you, I think I’ll continue to use ‘census’ for these. After all, I want all of my readers to take it. >.>

Still one of my favorite blogs.

I was surprised to see you are male. I don’t mean that in a “Dude! You write like a girl!” sort of way. (Although there are linguistics studies that claim the number of pronouns used as well as sentence structure can pinpoint gender.) Perhaps it is simply that, as a female reader, I don’t feel excluded or patronized when I read your blog. I don’t feel like a “female reader”, just a reader. So, thank you.

I count this among the finest compliments I have ever received in my life. I was grinning for days after reading it. Thank you.

keep up the good work

I will try, thanks!

Always an entertaining read! Gets the mind going, and is a great place for inspiration in my own games. I always love to see how other DMs “do their thing”, as it were.

I’m glad I can provide inspiration for you. That’s one of my primary goals with this website.

Keep up the excellent work, comrade.

I will always provide according to my ability, comrade!

You are an amazing man judging from your posts on Twitter. I look forward to more P&P posts. Also, I’d like to see some roleplaying posts (I am more of a roleplayer), but only if you want to.

I’m a little speechless. Thank you for your kind words, and if I don’t follow you on twitter, let me know so I can start!

The process of getting into a role is not something I often do these days, though I’m no stranger to it. I used to be an avid role player on forums and in World of Warcraft. But as a GM, I prefer to focus on crafting an interesting environment for my players. And in the games where I am not a GM, I am most often focused on overcoming obstacles, and don’t tend to invest myself as much in my character’s personality or backstory. None the less, I’ll see if this is something I can explore more on Papers & Pencils.

Great blog. I don’t always agree with your gaming ideas, but you do make me think.

I get bored with people who agree with me too often. Disagreement and lively discussion are how we learn about each other, and improve ourselves. So disagree with me all you like, my good man!

Keep on the GREAT work! (^_^)b

I’ll do my best. “Great” is a high expectation to live up to! I hope I do not disappoint.

Im a very amateur GM (I’ve run all of one session of my first [recently started] game, and your articles are helping me to be better at what I do. You’ve really helped me already and I love your site.

It means a lot to me to know that I’ve helped. I imagine that by now you’ve run at least a few more sessions. I’d be curious to know if there are any articles you found particularly helpful, or if there is any topic you’d like to see me cover! I’m always open to post suggestions from my readers.

The Girl and the Granite Throne – good. Get on that.

If you say so! Chapter four went up early this month, and chapter five will go up in about two weeks.

I love how you’ve explored how races of monsters are people too, just people who see things a different way.

I personally find the game world to be a much more interesting place if only 90% of ‘evil’ humanoids are actually evil (maybe 99.99%, in the case of goblins). Many people disagree with me on this, but it’s good to know that I’m not entirely alone in this belief.

I want to thank all of my readers, particularly those who responded to the census, for indulging this annual vanity of mine. I found it immensely informative, and reinvigorating. Hopefully by next year I’ll have become a little more competent with Google Docs, and be able to present the data in a more visually pleasing way.

We now return you to our regularly scheduled Halloween programming.

Merciless Monsters 8: The Gourd Golem

When an adventurer thinks of a golem, they think of a challenging foe. Golems never tire, and never feel the pain of their injuries. Most are constructed from materials like stone or iron, and even putting a scratch on their bodies requires a blow of titanic strength. Golems are relentless, and powerful.

At least, most of them are.

Gourd Golems are most commonly constructed by bush wizards. Casters who desire the services of a construct, but lack the skill or the gold to make a proper one. Long ago one such wizard discovered that they could use relatively common crops during the harvest season to construct a simple, cheap golem. One which, while admittedly not very effective in combat, could still serve as a decent porter. Or even a guard against minor threats such as wild animals or common burglars.

While Gourd golems are constructed from a variety of squashes, they are most notable for the large orange pumpkin which is used to form the creature’s head. These pumpkins must be hollowed out, and a specially enchanted candle placed within them. The magic which animates the golem is stored in the candles flame, and nothing less than complete submersion in water is sufficient to put it out. Since it’s more difficult to put out this flame than to simply smash the golems to pieces, most gourd golems have terrifying faces carved into their pumpkin heads, to make them appear more menacing.

Physically, Groud Golems do not appear to be as sturdy as they are. Their bodies are made of various crops which are bound together by the magically animated vines of the pumpkin. If one were to make a crude comparison to human anatomy, the gourds form the skeletal structure of the creature, giving it shape. The vines hold that structure together, and give it mobility and strength, as muscles and tendons do for humans.

Gourd Golem

Shambling awkwardly on limbs made of long stems wrapped around squash, the creature approaches. Its malicious intent is clear from the evil grin carved into its pumpkin head.

Gourd Golem; CR 2; [Construct] [Farmland] [Temperate Climate] [Always Active]

XP: 600
N Medium Construct
Init -2; Senses Darkvision 60ft, low light vision, Perception +5

DEFENSE

AC 16, touch 8, flat-footed 16 [10 + Dex(-2) + Natural(8)]
HP 43 (3d10)
Fort +1 Ref -1 Will +1;
Immune Construct Traits
Weakness Vulnerability to Bludgeoning (+50% damage)

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft.
Melee +4 Slam (1d6)(Bludgeoning)(May choose to tangle on successful slam attack)

STATISTICS

Str 12 Dex 7 Con — Int — Wis 10 Cha 1
BAB +3; CMB 4; CMD 12
Languages None
SQ Tangle, Burrow

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Burrow If the earth is loose enough, a Gourd Golem can bury itself within 2 minutes, submerging itself up to its pumpkin head. Those who control the Gourd Golem often command a number of them to do this in farming fields, hiding amongst the crops until intruders approach. Gourd Golems can leap out of the dirt and attack in a single round.

Tangle Gourd Golems are most effective at trapping, rather than killing their enemies. Upon a successful slam attack, the golem can wrap its vines around a victim, performing a grapple check at a +10 bonus. If successful, the Gourd Golem will continue to entwine itself around its victim on subsequent turns, strapping the gourds which make up its own body to their limbs, making it difficult for them to move. Eventually the golem even fits its own pumpkin head over the head of its victim, restricting their vision severely. A tangled character is not controlled by the golem, and they are rarely harmed. Rather, the purpose of the tangle ability is to hold an intruder until someone comes to retrieve them.

ECOLOGY

Environment Most commonly in farmland, where the necessary resources are plentiful.
Organization Solitary or band (6-12)
Activity Cycle Constructs do not sleep.
Diet Constructs do not eat; Natural Enemies Squirrels, Dogs, most herbivores and omnivores.
Treasure Typical

CONSTRUCTION

A Gourd Golem’s body is constructed from roughly 100gp worth of pumpkins and other gourds. In addition, high quality candles worth 10gp each must be used.
Requirements Craft Construct, Entangle, Summon Nature’s Ally II, creator must be caster level 5th;
Skill Craft (Sculpture) or Craft(Topiary) DC: 17 Cost 110gp

Vampiric Classifications 1: Hierarchy

If I had to select a single fantasy creature as my favorite, I don’t think there’s any competition for the vampire. I know it’s not a particularly original answer, but I don’t care even slightly. Vampires take everything I love about the macabre, and inject it with intellect, and grace. As monsters they tap into something so primal within the human psyche, that an equivalent to the vampire can be found in dozens of folkloric traditions. And as characters, vampires project an air of dignity, and elegance. The allure of the vampire is strong, which is why so many excellent tomes have been written about them already. The AD&D 2nd edition Ravenloft supplement “Van Richten’s Guide to Vampires” has a special place on the shelf above my desk.

I don’t think my take on vampires is even particularly original. At best you could call it an amalgam of traditions. Regardless of how original it is, though, the way I depict vampires in my games is something I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about. I’m happy with it, and the Halloween season seems like as good a time as any to share what I’ve devised. In this post I’ll cover the hierarchy of vampire society, while a later post will detail specific types of vampires.

The basic structure of vampiric hierarchies is the bloodline. Each campaign world has between one and five elder bloodlines active. Typically a bloodline will include hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of vampires, scattered all throughout the world. Relationships between different bloodlines may vary, but no two will ever form anything more than a temporary alliance. It is always the ultimate goal of every vampiric bloodline to eliminate all others.

While vampires of different bloodlines may not have any distinguishing features to a casual observer, the creatures themselves are able to determine what bloodline another vampire belongs to based on appearance. This ability is not magical in any way, but instead is based on minor physical features which may not be regarded as important to a mortal. The shape and size of teeth is a common indication, as is the hue of the eyes and the palor of the skin.

Each bloodline is led by either a highlord, or a queen vampire. Every other member of a bloodline is descended directly from them. Unlike most vampires, highlords and queens were not (for the most part) created by having their blood consumed by another vampire. Instead they are rare creatures who were granted the gift of eternal unlife by a powerful demon or evil god. Rarely the Logos itself creates a vampire when a person of sufficient evil and temperament dies. It is also possible for a mortal to become a highlord or queen if they fully consume the blood of a vampire. This would both destroy the vampire, and cause the mortal to die and rise again as the first of a new bloodline. This last method is almost entirely unheard of, and only a select few know that it is even possible.

Often, young highlords and queens do not last long, unless they sequester themselves in a small area of the world and make no attempt to grow their bloodline. Even then, elder bloodlines are uncomfortable with the prospect of young bloodlines growing powerful enough to challenge them. A newly risen highlord or queen may quickly find themselves marked for assassination by the elder bloodlines if they are not careful to maintain a low profile.

The vast majority of vampires are not highlords or queens, though. Most are created when another vampire drains the blood of a mortal, killing them. The victim (whether they are willing or not), then rises as a fledgeling vampire subservient to their creator. At first, a fledgeling will be completely obedient to and reliant upon their master. As time passes and the fledgeling grows stronger, however, they will gain some measure of independence from their creator. As they grow in power, a fledgeling may become a member of a coven, or soldier for their master. Someday they may even become powerful enough to be a Lord or Lady in their own right. Though no matter how powerful a vampire becomes, they can never disobey a direct order from, nor can they plot against their creator. Nor can they disobey or plot against their creator’s creator, nor any other vampire they are descended from, all the way back to the highlord or queen of their bloodline. This restriction is not a social one, but rather it is a simple fact of a vampire’s nature. Any attempt to plot against one’s master would likely result in immediate distraction, and a concerted effort would only cause a loss of consciousness.

Which isn’t to say vampires haven’t found loopholes in the past. But it is not easy, nor is it common.

Within the first hundred years or so of their existence, fledgeling vampires are expected to become powerful enough to serve their masters as soldiers. Soldier vampires, while not independent from their creator as a lord or lady is, are none the less respected, and normally well treated by their masters. Some vampires are even content to remain soldiers, without seeking to establish themselves as a lord or lady in their own right.

When a fledgeling is not strong enough to rise to the rank of soldier, they are relegated to a coven. These groups, often composed of several dozen vampires, are the lowest rung of a vampiric bloodline. They are regarded as failures who must band together in order to survive. While they do ostensibly serve their creators directly, as soldiers do, most vampire lords and ladies have no use for their covens. Most covens are thus established far from their master’s home, and are called upon only rarely to serve. Covens are only created by common Lords and Ladies. The vampires created by Highlords, Queens, and Firsts are always powerful enough to become soldiers and lords. Though there has been some speculation that these high ranking vampires may merely kill their weak fledgelings to maintain this illusion.

Occasionally an upstart adventurer will actually succeed in killing a vampire lord or lady, creating a hole in the hierarchy of the bloodline. Any fledgelings created by that vampire are immediately destroyed or driven mad by the destruction of their master. Any soldier vampires which do not die protecting their master will likely be recruited by another vampire lord or lady in the same bloodline. If they do not wish to serve another, the soldier may attempt to become a lord or lady in their own right. Covens left behind by a destroyed vampire are either forgotten about and left entirely to their own devices, or destroyed by more powerful vampires who do not wish to leave any loose ends which may cause problems down the line. All of the vampires which were created by a deceased lord or lady become a little more free. However, they are still subservient to the remaining vampires from which they are descended.

In the rare event that a Highlord or Queen vampire is killed, every vampire in their bloodline with 6HD or less is immediately destroyed. Every other vampire in their bloodline takes 1d12 damage per hit die. So a vampire with 10HD would take 10d12 damage if the Queen of their bloodline were destroyed. A bloodline which loses its leader is often reduced to beneath half of its former strength in the space of a heartbeat. When this happens, any surviving first lords and ladies are presented with an interesting choice. They may opt to separate from their bloodline, and declare themselves and their descendants to be a new bloodline altogether. Alternatively, if a single First is able to consume the blood from, and destroy, every other First within their bloodline, then they may seize control of whatever remains.

Given the nature of vampires, the destruction of a Highlord or Queen almost always results in a bloody scramble for power among the remaining Firsts. After which the victor must move quickly to defend their severely weakened bloodline from any challenger bloodlines who would use this opportunity to destroy them.

Natural Necromancy

I’m a big fan of the idea of ‘natural magic’. By which I do not mean magic with a naturalistic source, such as the magic used by a shaman or a druid. Frankly I’ve always found ‘nature’ as a power source for magic to be boring. Rather, by ‘natural magic,’ I refer to magical effects which have no caster. Magic which merely exists for one reason or another. Sometimes it is merely a law of the universe that when X or Y occurs, a magical effect will happen. Other times a place may become inherently magical because a great deed was performed there. Or in some cases there may have even been a caster involved at one time, but it was so long ago and the magic has taken on an effect so different from what the caster intended, they can’t properly be called responsible it.

Natural magic could come from any school. A natural abjuration effect may prevent demons from treading upon the ground where a saint was martyred. Whereas a natural enchantment might come about because two famous lovers once carved their initials into a tree, and now any who sleep beneath that tree fall in love. But as my readers well know by now, Necromancy is kinda my thing. It also suits the Halloween season.

And since I went to all the trouble of dressing the site up for Halloween, I ought to write some seasonal shit, right? Right. Lets do this.

Necromatic Rift

Occasionally a rift will form at an intersection between two planes. An opening into the abyss might allow demons to come through into our world. Likewise, a rift which opened between the material plane and the plane of negative energy could cause any number of necromantic spell effects to occur. I like the idea that the shape of the rift determines how the negative energy filters through, which determines what spell effect it produces. The size of the rift could affect that spell’s power. I explored this idea in detail in an old post of mine called The Crypt of Ancient Wisdom.

A Necromatic Rift ice nice because it has the greatest potential for variety. They can appear anywhere, and cause anything. For example, a necromantic rift could sap the strength of anyone who dared venture into a certain valley, leaving them physically weak for the duration of their time there. Another necromatic rift could cause anyone buried in a certain graveyard to rise as vampires, or, as in the case of the Tragedy of the Gorovik Family, it could cause everyone in a certain crypt to be affected by a constant “Speak with Dead” effect.

Necrotic Rifts need not be a bad thing, either. While necromancy is regarded as an evil art, many spells of the Necromancy school (at least in Pathfinder and D&D) are not inherently evil. Spells such as Speak with Dead interact with death, but do so in a manner which is respectful. Or, at least, not an overt desecration. It would be easy to use a rift as a source of conflict within your game, but it could also serve as a prize for the party’s caster. Upon discovering and recognizing a Necrotic Rift, a caster could sacrifice one of their spell slots for the day to manipulate the rift, and cast any necromancy spell of equal level to the one they sacrificed. (They need not have the spell in any of their spell books to do this.)

Type of Death

The dead rising based on how they were killed or laid to rest has strong mythological and cultural grounding. If you’ve ever seen a slasher film you know what I’m talking about. The villain returned from the grave because they were betrayed, or because they were buried in a Native American burial ground, or simply because they were so damned evil that Lucifer himself rejected them.

The manner of death always affects the manner of undeath in these cases. A woman who is drowned by her lover and his mistress, for example, will spend her un-life on a quest to drown any pair of lovers she encounters. Particularly if they’re being unfaithful to others. Note that type of death can cause natural necromancy through either the action, or the inaction of the living. If the living actively cause the death of a person, such as in the example above, it can create a vengeful undead. If the living neglect the proper burial rituals of a corpse (whatever those rituals may be), that can also create an undead creature. Though these are often less specifically vengeful, and more generally aggressive towards the living.

Necromatic Fallout

I like nuclear fallout. Not in a literal sense, of course. Literally speaking, nuclear fallout is awful. But I love the idea that a large event can leave a residue of itself behind for centuries. Countless events could leave a necromatic residue behind on the landscape. For example. I imagine the spot where Vecna’s tower once stood, before it collapsed, would still be an area of powerful necromatic magic. Perhaps anything which died there would rise as a zombie or skeleton. If it is particularly powerful, perhaps anything which even enters the area must make a save versus death. Vecna is a god now, after all.

Other examples of events which could cause necromatic fallout would be the birth of an evil god, or a place where powerful necromancy spells were cast over and over again over a long period of time. The site of a great plague or genocide might also create a necromatic fallout. I also like the idea that an unsanctified graveyard or crypt might draw necromatic powers to itself, making itself an unholy place in the absence of blessings to keep evil at bay.