We thought we had succeeded when the thing wailed as if in agony, and its body shifted in our grip - but the creature had become a bat. We grabbed for it, but it slipped from our grasp and flew away into the night sky. At that point we knew that even if we survived the upcoming rapids, our troubles were only just begun...
- From the journal of Vraymar Orcbane
Destroying a Vampire
Driving a vampire away or keeping it at bay is quite difficult enough. Unfortunately, in the majority of cases this will only guarantee that the fiend will approach again, at a time of its choosing and when you are least prepared. The ultimate goal is to significantly damage and then destroy the creature. Unfortunately, this feat is much more difficult to achieve than it is to discuss. However, the creatures are not wholly omnipotent and there are, thanks to all that's holy, some means to strike them down! That, of course, is my intent in committing this guide to pen and ink.
Of course, the easiest way to destroy a vampire is to be sure that it never rises at all. When a person is killed by a vampire, as I have postulated, it is almost certain that that person will become a vampire as well. The best way to prevent a victim from rising as a vampire is to completely destroy the body rather than bury it. If the body must be buried for religious or other reasons, there are other ways that it can be prevented from becoming a vampire. The way most certain is to drive a stake through the heart of the body, fill its mouth with a consecrated substance, and cut off its head.
Remember: the vampire hunter who relies upon tradition is almost certainly doomed to become the thing he hunts!
Folk tales make this means of destruction sound much simpler than it really is. In fact, there are several significant issues that must be addressed. First, the stake must be prepared from wood. Ash is normally the appropriate wood, but certain vampires may be immune to ash, and another wood must be used. The appropriate wood may vary depending upon the individual vampire, and will often be somehow related to the creature's personal history (how it became a vampire. etc.). For example, a vampire who lives in a graveyard might only be killed with a stake of yew wood.
In the night, when a vampire's power is at it's height, a wooden stake is largely ineffectual. For obvious reasons it is best to confront a vampire while it is unconscious in its sanctuary. Unfortunately, this is not always possible and the vampire hunter must be prepared to face a conscious and active vampire.
If attacking a conscious and unrestrained vampire, the stake must be manually driven through its heart. In other words, the stake must be used like a dagger or a short sword and driven into the chest of the monster, who will hardly remain still while someone positions the stake and prepares to strike it home with a mallet. Even this is harder than it sounds; as evidenced by its inhuman strength, the muscles of a vampire are much more sturdy, perhaps more dense, than their mortal equivalents. Thus, the attacker must have great strength in order to drive the stake into the monster's chest cavity. In addition, it must be remembered that the heart is a relatively small target, and very difficult to hit if the vampire is moving. Even if the vampire is somehow restrained, it is far from a sure thing that the attacker can drive the stake manually through the heart.
If the vampire is unconscious or immobilized, success with a stake and mallet is still not guaranteed if the stake is ever removed from the vampire's body, the creature will rise again. To prevent the monster from ever rising again, the attacker must decapitate the vampire. Otherwise, the possibility of it rising to stalk the lands still exists.
A single attacker using the stake like a melee weapon must have a minimum Str of 17; otherwise the blow will not be strong enough to penetrate the heart. To strike the heart, the attacker must roll a successful hit against AC -1. If either condition is not met, the stake does not penetrate the heart, and does no damage to the vampire. Two people, but no more, can cooperate in wielding the stake in melee. The sum of their Str scores must exceed 17, and they make the attack at -3 to hit because of the difficulty involved in coordinating their movements.If the monster is totally immobilized, no to-hit roll is required. Staking the creature takes 1 round.
Weapons that have been blessed by a priest are a special case: for the duration of the bless spell, a blessed but otherwise nonmagical weapon can strike a vampire. It inflicts only minimal damage, however, unless wielded by a warrior of exceptional strength.
If a priest of a nonevil deity casts a bless spell on any weapon (or item that could be conceivably used as a weapon), for the duration of the spell that weapon is capable of striking a vampire. The blessed weapon gains no to-hit bonus, of course. A successful hit inflicts one point of damage, plus any applicable strength bonus.
Many tales state that vampires are exceptionally vulnerable to running water. For most vampires this is at least partially true. A vampire that is totally immersed in rapidly flowing water should be involuntarily reduced to gaseous form in a matter of minutes. There are several vital considerations to keep in mind, however. First, the water in question must be rapidly flowing; oceans, creeks, slow streams, and the like will not suffice. Second, the word "immersed" has a specific meaning in this context: fully three-quarters of the vampire's body must be below the surface of the water, and this portion must include the entire chest, from the creature's waist to its neck. (In essence, the monster's heart must be immersed.) Vampires are as capable of floating or treading water as any humanoid creature. Thus, merely throwing a vampire into a river and waiting for it to expire will probably not work. The vampire must be so held that its entire chest is completely immersed for at least one minute in order to inflict any damage whatsoever upon the creature.
As is so often the case with vampires, this is much easier said than done. The creature is hideously strong and the panic engendered by even partial immersion seems to give the creature additional reserves of strength. Often the attacker becomes the attacked.
The monster can also use its many spell-like powers to destroy those who would try to hold it under. Luckily, as soon as the creature is even partially immersed in running water, it is incapable of voluntarily assuming gaseous form. It can, however, shapechange into another form.
If the attempt is successful, the results are quite extreme. Should the creature be kept suitably submerged for only three minutes, it is forced into gaseous form - which bubbles to the surface - and must flee to its sanctuary.
If a vampire is even partially immersed in running water, it temporarily gains the Str associated with the next highest age category. Thus, a Fledgling vampire dumped into a river will temporarily enjoy a Str of 18/91, rather than its normal 18/76. This temporary Str bonus vanishes as soon as the creature is out of the water. In addition, if the monster's arms aren't somehow constrained, it gets a +4 bonus on all attacks against any characters physically trying to hold it underwater. (This bonus represents both proximity and the fact that its foes are concentrating on holding it under.)At the end of each complete round that the vampire has been immersed, it loses one-third of its maximum hit-point score. As soon as it is driven to zero or fewer hit points, it assumes gaseous form.
Example: A vampire has a maximum hit-point total of 60 hit points. In combat with a group of adventurers, the creature suffers 25 points of damage from an enchanted sword, giving it a current score of 35 hit points. To add insult to injury, it is then unceremoniously dumped into a fast flowing river, with six burly warriors holding it down. At the end of the first round, the creature loses 20 hit points - one-third of its normal total of 60 - which drops it to a current total of 15 hit points. At the end of the second round, it loses another 20 points, dropping its total to -5. With a strangled curse, the creature reverts to gaseous form.
If a vampire is immersed in a large quantity of holy water, the creature loses one-half of its total hit points per melee round so immersed. All rules relating to immersion in running water - Str bonus, attack bonus, etc. - also apply. Even if the monster is not totally immersed, it suffers 2d6 + 2 points of damage on every round that it is even partially immersed.
For this discussion and the following paragraphs, the word "sunlight" refers to the direct rays of the sun or such rays reflected by a mirror.
Most vampires can be destroyed by exposure to sunlight, and even momentary exposures can be lethal to Fledglings. These creatures hate the sunlight with a passion that mortals can't begin to understand. If a vampire is up and about in the daylight hours, then it will always take great pains to shade itself from the sun. With very few exceptions, vampires will never willingly pass into the sunlight. If this means that they must fight a battle to the death, allow a mortal enemy to escape, or make any other such sacrifices, so be it.
As soon as a normal Fledgling vampire is totally exposed to sunlight, it is instantly incapable of using any of its magical abilities. All it can concentrate upon is trying to get into shelter. If at the end of one minute the creature has not escaped the rays of the sun, it is instantly and permanently annihilated.
As a vampire ages, however, it becomes able to sustain brief periods of time in the sun. Older vampires seem to be able to resist the lethal effects of exposure to sunlight for varying periods of time. A Mature vampire might withstand one minute of exposure, for example, while an Ancient might withstand one hour in the sun without being destroyed. During this "period of immunity", the creature is able to use all of its powers normally. The instant this period of immunity expires, however, the creature is stripped of its magical powers, and one minute later is annihilated.
A vampire that has existed for a millennium is no longer susceptible to the burning touch of the sun. A Patriarch can go forth during the daylight hours with the same freedom as a mortal. (There are also tales of vampires centuries too young to be a Patriarch, who are equally immune to sunlight - the possibility that such a creature can pass this immunity on to a line of vampires is too horrid to dwell upon.)
A vampire could stand in a room with sunlight streaming through the window and remain totally unharmed so long as it did not step into a sunbeam. It is important to here relate the nature of reflected sunlight that harms vampires. "Diffuse" reflection, such as that from the floors and walls of a room, is harmless to the vampire, albeit highly distasteful. "Focused" reflection, however, is dangerous. As a rule of thumb, the reflected sunlight is dangerous only if the vampire could conceivably see a recognizable image of the sun in the reflecting surface. The sun reflected in a mirror, a polished shield, or perhaps even a well-cleaned plate would harm a vampire.
Even partial exposure to sunlight can be dangerous to a vampire - "partial" in this case meaning that only a small portion of the vampire's body (such as a hand or arm) is exposed to the direct or mirror-reflected rays of the sun. The vampire's period of immunity comes into play again. If the partial exposure extends beyond this period of immunity, the exposed portion of the vampire is burned as if by direct application of fire.
It cannot be stressed too often: most vampires hate sunlight. Even if a vampire is in the sunlight less than its period of immunity, it takes a massive effort of will for the creature to do anything other than seek shelter. Patriarchs or vampires innately immune to sunlight still dislike being exposed to the direct or reflected rays of the sun although the intensity of this dislike is infinitely less than that exhibited by their lesser kin. Such vampires will never show a tendency to flee from sunlight, but they might evidence other symptoms of distaste.
Vampires can sometimes be physically forced or tricked into the sun, but considering the great strength and intelligence of the creatures, this is never a minor undertaking. Usually a vampire destroyed by sunlight instantly crumbles into dust, if in any material form. Sunlight also affects vampires that are in gaseous form in the same ways as discussed above. If a gaseous vampire is destroyed by sunlight, the cloud of gas simply dissipates, never to reform.
At the end of every complete melee round that a vampire is partially exposed to sunlight, it suffers 3d6 points of damage. The exposed flesh will often burst into flame, emitting a foul smell.A vampire exposed to sunlight must make a saving throw vs. petrification, with a -2 penalty to the die roll. If it fails this save, it can do nothing but seek shelter from the sun. If it saves, however, it can act freely during its period of immunity, and can suppress any obvious signs of its discomfort. As soon as its period of immunity ends, however, it must instantly seek shelter from the sun.
If a Patriarch or other sunlight-immune vampire is exposed to direct or reflected sunlight, it must save vs. spells, with a +2 bonus to the die roll. A successful save means that it totally suppresses its innate distaste for sunlight. A failed save, on the other hand, indicates that the creature shows some signs of discomfort, such as painful squinting, etc.
In three memorable cases, I have seen a fascinating phenomenon occur when a vampire was caught in sunlight, was struck by a holy symbol, or was splashed by holy water. In these cases, not only did the contact cause pain and inflict physical damage, but it also left a seemingly indelible mark on the vampire. In one case this took the form of a red discoloration, similar to a birth mark, the size and shape of the splash of holy water that struck the fiend. In the others, the mark was a blackened scorch where the sun struck the skin, and a brand in the exact form of the holy symbol.
Why is this interesting? Recall that the condition of a vampire's body normally tends toward the condition it was in when the creature died. Old scars, tattoos and the like will reform, while new scars and similar marks will quickly fade. The marks, which I choose to call "stigmata" (singular, stigma), did not fade until a period of months had transpired in the first case, and several years had passed in the others. Particularly in the case of the holy symbol, the vampire was effectively and visually identified for what it was, depriving it of a means to masquerade as a mortal. Therefore, it was easier to hunt down the fiend and destroy it.
I have no idea how common a susceptibility to stigmata is among vampires, and it is not the sort of thing easily established experimentally. Tales of stigmata are rare, and if vampire and foe come into such proximity that a stigma can be created, in most cases either foe or vampire ends up destroyed.
The duration of stigmata is up to the DM.
