Remi’s Palladium Vampires
I've felt for a long time that Palladium's vampires left a lot to be desired. Most of the other gaming companies have well written, flushed out vampires and creation rules for them, while Palladium vampires are little more than a bad joke. ANYTHING YOU CAN KILL WITH A WATER GUN IS NOT A VAMPIRE! So here I hope to present a better, more playable vampire for the Palladium universe. A good deal of the writing is going to be, somewhat reworked, Palladium text, so I do give much of the credit to C.J. Carella & Kevin Siembieda for the C&P’d materal.
Vampire R.C.C.
Unlike the old vampires there is now only one base vampire type. Now turning mortals into vampires will work on a purely skill styled percentile system. As a vampire goes up in level they become better or at least more aware as how to turn mortals into vampires. I failed roll would mean the target dies, bled out. This would eliminate the need for wild vampires and my vampires are not controlled an intelligence there would be so Master Vampire. The vampire gene has been passed down for centuries through the bite and the still living elders. Very few elders know the true story of how vampires came to be and they refuse to reveal the information. That information is by far the vampires' most closely guarded secret.
The transformation from mortal to vampire destroys all vestiges of humanity, except for some faded memories. The victim is reborn as the undead. The character no longer has anything in common with humankind, other than the human appearance. As a result, the original human attributes and alignment are meaningless, new attributes are rolled, an evil or selfish alignment is selected, and a completely new skill set is used.
The vampire’s starting special abilities and psychic powers are known to them instinctively after their first feeding, when they gain control over their hunger.
Alignment: Selfish or evil. Radiates supernatural evil.
Attributes: I.Q. 3D6+2, M.E. 3D6+6, M.A. 3D6 +8, P.S. 3D6+14 (Supernatural), P.P. 3D6+8, P.E. 1D6+18, P.B. 3D6+4, Spd. 3D6+10
Size and Weight: Varies, human equivalent
S.D.C./Hit Points: 3D6x10, hit points only.
P.P.E.: 1D4x10
I.S.P.: 2D6x10
Horror Factor: Humans 14, Psychics and others 12.
Natural Abilities: Regeneration, Create Vampires, Create Ghoul + 1 at levels 2, 4, 6, and 8
Damage: Vampires have supernatural strength; see the Supernatural Strength Damage Table to determine hand-to-hand combat damage.
Bonuses: In addition to attribute bonuses, +4 to save vs. horror factor, +2 on initiative, +3 on perception rolls, impervious to all forms of psionic and magic sleeps, paralysis, and cold attacks, and +3 to save vs. magic or psionic mind control.
Magic Powers: If a character had and magic powers before being turned they are completely lost. Vampires cannot use magical forces; even magic scrolls are useless in the hands of a vampire.
Psionic Powers: All powers start at 4th level proficiency and only grow in power when the vampire reaches level 5. Death Trance, Alter Aura (self), Mind Block, Hypnotic Suggestion, Presence Sense, Sense Evil, Induce Sleep. Requires a roll of 12 or higher to save verses psionic attacks.
Average Life Span: Presumed to be immortal.
Experience Level: Player characters start at level one. Typical NPC levels; Vampire 1D6 Leader 1D6+4 Elder 1D6+10
Vulnerabilities: See section.
R.C.C. Skills: As the character has lost all previous skills a Rifts style skill list seemed appropriate.
Languages: Native Tongue at 98% plus one of choice (+15%). (Regional languages ARE a good idea players!)
Literacy: Native at 98% plus one of choice (+15%)
Climb/Scale Walls (+10%)
Concealment (+14%)
Detect Ambush (+10%)
Detect Concealment & Traps (+10%)
Math: Basic (+20%)
Prowl (+15%)
Track Humanoids (+10%)
Lore: Psychic and Psionic
Hand-to-Hand: Assassin (Cannot be changed.)
O.C.C. Related Skills: Select two rogue skills and five other skills of choice. Plus select one additional skill at levels three, six, nine, and twelve. All new skills start at level one proficiency.
Communications: Any
Domestic: Any
Espionage: Any (+10%)
Horsemanship: General only
Medical: None
Military: Any (+5%)
Physical: None
Rogue: Any (+10%)
Science: Any
Technical: Any (+10%)
Weapon Proficiencies: Any
Wilderness: Any
Secondary Skills: The character also gets three secondary skills from the previous list at levels one, five and ten. These are additional area of knowledge that do not get the advantage of the bonus listed. All secondary skills start at level one.
Equipment: For starting vampires, a coven vampire will have a private room at the coven's headquarters, with a large wardrobe, a new car, and access to coven equipment. Coven headquarters are usually large estates on the outskirts of town, but can be just about any type of building anywhere. The solitary vampire will have safe place to sleep during the day, a small wardrobe, some basic equipment and a 1D6 year old car.
Weapons: That starting vampire will have two starting weapons reflecting the character's W.P.s.
Money: Starts with 2D6x1,000 in cash.
Vampire Powers
Vampires start with three basic powers, as they grow in experience they gain new powers. The starting powers are Regeneration, Create Vampire, and Create Ghoul. These powers are known to all vampires and cannot be lost of forgotten.
Vampire Regeneration
Vampires are almost immune to most normal weapons; blades, bullets, fire, cold, electricity and most explosives will do little of any damage. A large explosion may knock a vampire down, and repeated sword strokes may shred the creature's clothing, but the undead flesh will remain whole and untouched. Unlike standard Palladium vampires’ wooden weapons do no damage, and a wood stake to the heart of a vampire will do nothing more than **** it off. The only weapons that will harm a vampire are those made from silver or silver plated, and UV rounds. Magic attacks will inflict damage, but at only half the effectiveness and damage. Psionic attacks will still inflict full damage.
A vampire can be killed, it just takes time. The creature will regenerate 4D6 Hit Points per minute, and is still deadly to 0 hit points. At -1 hit points the undead will collapse into a regenerative coma. If the attack on the vampire continues the body of the creature will fall apart and start to dissolve at -25 hit points. At -35 hit points the creature is finally dead.
Create Vampire
The creation of vampires is actually a very simple process. All a vampire has to do to create another creature of the night is find a living mortal, willing or not, and drain all of the victim's blood. Once all of the victim's blood is gone the sire vampire must force no less than one pint of his own blood down the victim's thought. At that point the victim will fall into a coma, after an hour, if the sire vampire made his Create Vampire Roll, the mortal will awake fully transformed into the undead. The new vampire will instantly go into a feeding frenzy and not stop until it has consumed at least 8 pints of blood.
Base Roll: 10% +5% Per level of experience.
Create Ghoul
Ghouls are the most common minions for vampires. Ghoul's are much easier to sire than vampires and, some would say, much more useful than having several truly undead servants. The only way to create a Ghoul is for a vampire to find a mortal and allowing/forcing that mortal to drink it's undead blood. Two ounces of blood is all it takes for a mortal to become instantly obedient to the vampire sire. Once turned into a Ghoul the mortal acquires these bonuses: +5 to P.S., +5 to M.E., and +3D6 to S.D.C. and Hit Points. The Ghoul and the sire can sense each other within 100' and can sense the other's general condition; injured, angry, etc. Ghouls remain the complete slaves to their sire vampire unless the vampire is killed or chooses to set the ghoul free.
Base Roll: 20% +5% Per level of experience.
Other Vampire Powers:
Vampires are allowed to choose one power from this list at levels 2, 4, 6, and 8.
Enhanced Psychic Powers
Super-Hypnotic Suggestion
Range: Line of sight, must look victim directly in the eyes.
Duration: Five minutes per level of experience, or until the vampire is killed or willingly releases the victim.
I.S.P.: 20
Saving Throw: Standard
This mind control power enables the vampire to place any living creature in a light trance to enforce his will over the victim's. The vampire's commands will be obeyed except where they would go completely against the victim's alignment. By cunningly using this power, the vampire can phrase a command in a way that the victim will have no compunction to refuse.
Enhanced Link With Minions
Range: 10 miles.
Duration: Constant, always on.
I.S.P.: None
This upgraded psionic link allows the vampire to sense all of his minion's locations up to ten miles away. Along with being able to pinpoint a ghoul's location the sire also knows exactly what is happening to and within a 6' radius of the ghoul. The creature can sense if the ghoul is upset, injured, in danger, etc. and how many people are attacking the ghoul.
Metamorphosis
Vampires can transform into a large bat, wolf or mist. The transformation takes about seven seconds to complete or about the equivalent of one melee attack/action. While in non-human form, the vampire retains his intelligence and identity, but cannot speak, perform skills or, in mist form, use psionic powers. The vampire's clothing and other small and personal articles disappear during the transformation and reappear once human form is assumed once again.
Vampire Bat Abilities
Fly: Speed of 50 (35 mph)
Other Natural Abilities:
Sonar/echolocation: Enables the vampire to fly in total darkness at full speed and see the invisible.
Ultrasonic Hearing: Hears high and low frequencies, very acute. Can hear a month's wings beating but cannot understand the spoken word.
Thermo-imaging Sight: Close range, 10 ft, sensing and seeing the heat emanations of warm blood coursing through the veins. But cannot see infrared light.
Combat: +2 to strike, +3 to dodge, +8 to dodge in flight, +10% to prowl.
Attacks Per Melee: Half normal, bite inflicts 2D6 S.D.C. damage, claws 1D6 plus P.S. damage bonus. Can drink blood in bat form.
Wolf Abilities
Run: Speed of 58 (40 mph)
Other Natural Abilities: Track by scent 70% and leap 20 ft across and about 6 ft high.
Combat: +2 to strike, +1 to parry, +4 to dodge, +1 on initiative, +15% to prowl.
Attacks Per Melee: Add one to the base number of attacks. Bite does 5D6 damage.
Mist Abilities
Speed: 11 (7.5 mph)
Other Natural Abilities: Impervious to all physical attacks, including silver, fire, and some magic. Still vulnerable to psionic and UV light attacks. Can slide under doors, through cracks and crevices, keyholes, etc.
Combat: None. Cannot attack in mist form; all it can do is move/flee. +10% to prowl. (Although silent, the mist is very large and obvious.)
Note: Cannot use psionics in mist form, but can use them in animal form.
Summoning Powers
The vampire can summon various vermin, canines, and fog. The vermin includes rats, mice, flies, gnats, cockroaches, and other disgusting critters. Large vermin (rats) have a H.F. of 9 and can bite, inflicting 1D6+1 points of damage per melee round to unprotected victims. Smaller vermin have a H.F. of 6 and are extremely distracting, annoying and intimidating (victims lose one melee attack, -4 on initiative, -1 to strike, -2 to parry and dodge). The vampire can summon 100 large vermin or up to 500 small vermin per level of experience.
Canines (dogs or wolves) can be summoned at the rate of six per level of experience. The pack of canines has an H.F. of 8. Typical canines will have two or three attacks per melee and inflict 1D6 damage from a bite.
Fog can also be summoned. The fog can cover an area of up to a mile, and reduces clear visibility to four feet. Blurred shapes and shadowy figured are all that can be seen for an additional 10 feet.
Duration: Any of these summons last 10 minutes per level of experience.
Enhanced Regeneration
The enhanced regeneration ability adds +1D6 per minute to the vampire's natural regenerative powers, +2D6 to Hit Points, and +1 to save vs. magic and psionics. This power cannot be the first power chosen.
Vampire Weaknesses
Sunlight
UV Light
Silver
Vampires are hard to kill. That's a fact. Killing Palladium's vampires was just too stupid, water guns and crosses taped over flight lights? That's just sad. Now, on to the new vampires. These undead are much different foes. With the large hit point reserves of these vampires and their amazing regenerative abilities it now takes a good plan and some heavy firepower to take on even one creature. That having been said vampire can be killed. Vampires cannot regenerate damage from silver if the silver in still in their body. Silver bullets are good for hunting vampires but the bullets have to stay in the target and can't go all the way through. The lack of that knowledge has gotten many vampire hunters killed.
Prolonged exposure to sunlight is the most effective way to kill a vampire. Get it out in a well-lit area, keep it there, and watch it fry. Of course, vampires rarely, if ever, get themselves into a position where they can be killed by sunlight. The next best thing is to bring the sunlight to the vampires with UV rounds, however UV rounds are expensive and very hard to find. That leads us back to silver. Silver bullets and swords are the most common weapons used to destroy vampires. Swords are outdated and somewhat ineffective, a vampire can regenerate sword damage quickly, so a sword battle would be very long and difficult to win. That leaves silver bullets. Silver bullets can stick into the vampire and negate it's regeneration powers until the bullet is removed, which for a vampire isn't very difficult, but a vampire can rarely stop to remove bullets from itself during combat.
Questions? Comments? Feedback? Lawsuits?
