What creatures can be vampirized?

[The ineffible GM]

Skimming through world book one, it mentions that vampires "prefer" to turn humans and humanoids - but does not state what the criteria are for which creatures can be turned and which ones cannot.

Does anyone know if this is addressed at all in other books?

Could you turn a psi-stalker? An elf? A Xiticix?

[boring7]

Vampire kingdoms revised and/or vampire sourcebook have a little more clarity. Unless I'm misremembering it says only humans can be vamped, D-bee blood can be drunk but it's only half as good, I think there was a limitation on "only humanoids" but I'd have to check.

Of course this only applies to "regular" vampires. The ones in the Lemuria book are a whole different kettle of fishhorrible crab-monster, and come from a different kind of VI.

[eliakon]

Rifts Vampire Kingdom Revised says
"In theory, any intelligent, S.D.C., mortal humanoid can be turned into a vampire"
This explicitly is said to include Jungle Elves, Lemurians, Altara Warrior Women, Psi-Stalkers, Roane Pipers, and Lanotaur among others.

it then makes note that the following can not
MDC beings of any kind
Animals, including mutant animals of any kind
Anyone with 25% or more cybernetics
Non-flesh life forms
Non-carbon based life forms
Crazies of any kind
Creatures of Magic
Dog Boys
Dragons
Elementals
Juicers
Plant beings
Shape Changers of any kind
Supernatural beings
True Atlantians
Xiticix and other insect beings

[Freemage]

Well, damn, there goes my idea for a nest of Mutant Rats led by a vampiric MR that has turned the warren into her Thralls (thereby letting her maintain control over her normally treacherous kin).

[eliakon]

Well, damn, there goes my idea for a nest of Mutant Rats led by a vampiric MR that has turned the warren into her Thralls (thereby letting her maintain control over her normally treacherous kin).

Your the GM, you can change the rules if you want of course.
If your game works better with vampire rats, then add vampire rats.
Personally I would say that vampirezed mutant animals are a great idea... turning dog boys against the CS vampire hunters sounds interesting.

[Axelmania]

Depends on if you're asking about VK vamps or VKR vamps, different restrictions.

[HWalsh]

Depends on if you're asking about VK vamps or VKR vamps, different restrictions.

VKR is a newer printing. It takes precedent. VK is no longer canon in the case of any conflicts.

[Axelmania]

No conflicts necessary if you treat them as different vampire species. That makes 3, since you can still use the Greater Demon vampires from the Palladium RPG, like the ones in the Tombs of Gersidi campaign.

It's not as if Psyscape / Nightbane are in conflict for having two "Necrophim" and we have multiple Sasquatches.

[J_cobbers]

No conflicts necessary if you treat them as different vampire species. That makes 3, since you can still use the Greater Demon vampires from the Palladium RPG, like the ones in the Tombs of Gersidi campaign.

It's not as if Psyscape / Nightbane are in conflict for having two "Necrophim" and we have multiple Sasquatches.

VKR is a revision or retcon if you will of the original so not really different species, at least canonically within Rifts, but if you want to make more than one species of vamp in your game have at it. Citing PFRPG and Nightbane or other PB games is a better case for different species of vamps or necrophim or sasquatches because they are coming from different dimensions/games, which could account for the differences.

[Blue_Lion]

No conflicts necessary if you treat them as different vampire species. That makes 3, since you can still use the Greater Demon vampires from the Palladium RPG, like the ones in the Tombs of Gersidi campaign.

It's not as if Psyscape / Nightbane are in conflict for having two "Necrophim" and we have multiple Sasquatches.

VKR is a revision or retcon if you will of the original so not really different species, at least canonically within Rifts, but if you want to make more than one species of vamp in your game have at it. Citing PFRPG and Nightbane or other PB games is a better case for different species of vamps or necrophim or sasquatches because they are coming from different dimensions/games, which could account for the differences.

There are at least two types of vampires from rifts earth the ones in vampire kingdom(the revised replacing the original) and the ones with Davy Jones that are immune to water.

[Killer Cyborg]

Depends on if you're asking about VK vamps or VKR vamps, different restrictions.

VKR is a newer printing. It takes precedent. VK is no longer canon in the case of any conflicts.

Which is a shame, because I enjoyed the days when mutant animals could be vampires.

[eliakon]

Depends on if you're asking about VK vamps or VKR vamps, different restrictions.

VKR is a newer printing. It takes precedent. VK is no longer canon in the case of any conflicts.

Which is a shame, because I enjoyed the days when mutant animals could be vampires.

So Rule Zero it for your games/Get your GM to Rule Zero it.
The Canon Police wont kick in your door and lock you up if you do.

[Axelmania]

Cobbers re PF and NB do you recall if that went into detail about weird species being able to be I corporates?

PF in particular I would like to know if there was a Troll Vampire since CBrevised/WB30 introduced MDC trolls.

I think I recall a troll juicer NPC somewhere too .

[Eagle]

I see no reason why Juicers and Crazies shouldn't be vamp-able. Sure, they wouldn't keep their powers in their new form, but otherwise that means that if you take enough drugs you can't be turned. Is Keith Richards also immune to the vampire bite?

A group of vampires hiring Juicer daytime bodyguards sounds like a good plot element to me. Promise them that if they're good little soldiers, you'll turn them before Last Call. Technically I guess you could promise them that even though you know it won't work (Juicers don't get to read the Vampire Kingdoms book, after all). But I don't see any logical reason why getting really high stops the vampire from turning you.

[Axelmania]

Becoming a vampire should definitely be attractive for a juicer capable of detoxing. A lot more sensory than becoming a borg, and probably less expensive too.

Think of how many are becoming Murder Wraiths... and those can actually die from starvation while vamps just go crazy, and becoming a murder wraith actually requires killing people and loads of prep time where vampires can live without killing.

[Eagle]

Becoming a vampire should definitely be attractive for a juicer capable of detoxing. A lot more sensory than becoming a borg, and probably less expensive too.

Think of how many are becoming Murder Wraiths... and those can actually die from starvation while vamps just go crazy, and becoming a murder wraith actually requires killing people and loads of prep time where vampires can live without killing.

Best option I've come up with to guarantee detox requires a little prep time. Okay, a lot of prep time. At the very latest, you need to start prepping about the time you get the juicer conversion to begin with.

Get 6 magic tattoos. When you're about to hit Last Call, go get the 7th. You instantly become an MDC creature and the Juicer drugs stop affecting you. Psychologically it might suck, but you'll live.

[Axelmania]

Where's the bit about juicer drugs not affecting MDC beings again?

This wouldn't be any help for the Splugorth Juicer.

[HWalsh]

Becoming a vampire should definitely be attractive for a juicer capable of detoxing. A lot more sensory than becoming a borg, and probably less expensive too.

Think of how many are becoming Murder Wraiths... and those can actually die from starvation while vamps just go crazy, and becoming a murder wraith actually requires killing people and loads of prep time where vampires can live without killing.

Best option I've come up with to guarantee detox requires a little prep time. Okay, a lot of prep time. At the very latest, you need to start prepping about the time you get the juicer conversion to begin with.

Get 6 magic tattoos. When you're about to hit Last Call, go get the 7th. You instantly become an MDC creature and the Juicer drugs stop affecting you. Psychologically it might suck, but you'll live.

Go to dinosaur swamp when you start suffering Last Call. Drink from.the Fountain of Youth. Bam. 5 more years of being a Juicer.

[Greepnak]

I think Doc Reid's writings in VKR say that a vampire isnt really the original person, it's just a demon inhabiting the corpse that copies the memories of the deceased yet has an entirely differrent thought process and emotional spectrum. Hence the whole "I really love my wife, oh **** I'm a vampire. My wife would never see it coming if I was to go torture her" mentality that mexi Vamps are described to have. I guess it depends on whether Reid is believable or not.

[Axelmania]

I don't necesarily believe anything an NPC writes.

[Blue_Lion]

I don't necesarily believe anything an NPC writes.

But that is supported by the write up of the vampire classes.

I give all game text the benefit of the doubt unless it conflicts with stated mechanics(rules).
Seams how it is something written by the games vampire exert that would make it an expert statement.
The use of NPC to state things is to give a more storytelling way to present information and is basically a description from the game writers.

[Axelmania]

People can be experts and lie for an agenda. Only interested in what it actually says under the vamp types when it is the IRL authors communicating to us directly.

What Reed said is only evidence of what he has said to someone. It is otherwise just flavor which hints at what may be true.

[Blue_Lion]

People can be experts and lie for an agenda. Only interested in what it actually says under the vamp types when it is the IRL authors communicating to us directly.

What Reed said is only evidence of what he has said to someone. It is otherwise just flavor which hints at what may be true.

Wait when a writer writes something for US to understand he setting it is not the writer communication to us directly?

[Axelmania]

It helps us understand the setting by informing us of what Doc Reed writes. Just as we have been informed of what Erin Tarn writes, speeches Karl Prosek gives, or the private musings of Alistair Dunscon.

It is direct in the sense it is telling us what NPCs have wrote/spoke/thought but that comes through a lens. Very different from direct statements about the world not coming through a character.

[boring7]

Vampire sourcebook is the newest, for any possible contradictions between the two.

/was comparing VKR and Sourcebook earlier today.

Rifts books have grown more intentionally vague as time marches on with regards to character narration and "who is right." It's part of the setting's love affair with relative morality and subjective ideologies. The way I choose to see it/run it is that possession is a subtle thing. A vampire has a piece of a monster inside of it (the Alien Intelligence) but that beast isn't exactly in control. It nudges feelings, colors perceptions, cheerleads certain perspectives and actions, but it doesn't run like a brand-new mind because it *isn't* a mind. I look at it as a VI is only so smart, it doesn't have the brain power to be running a "software emulation of a person" across thousands of vampires. So instead, what gets stuffed into a new vampire isn't a new mind and monstrous spirit/soul, but a general feeling and set of instincts and emotions that are bestial, monstrous, and evil.

Side note: According to several books vampires count as demons, a la "(insert item here) affects vampires and other demons." #looseterminology

The other aspect is that it affects different people differently. Some are more changed than others, or more brain-damaged by the dying-and-coming-back thing. The Hero Vampire RCC and Deluded Vampire RCC play a bit of this. A creature with horrid evil inside trying not to be. Unfortunately it also slips and slides between whether the statements in the RCC fluff are supposed to be Doc Reid's opinion, someone else', or semi-objective fact.

It can be annoyingly vague and contradictory, like how "the Master never dies, but is remade in the image of the deific Vampire Intelligence with whom he merges." but is "undead"

[Axelmania]

There is some of that in Dead Reign too. Hard to know in the combat section what is rules and what is Brad Ashley opinion.