I’ve suggested before that the D&D vampire is too literal an adaptation of Dracula: sure, maybe Dracula’s animal form is a bat, but other vampires might turn into cats, frogs, or other creatures.
Gus at dungeon of signs suggests (among other vampire heresies) that vampire weaknesses should also be more varied than the monster manual suggests:
Likewise all [vampires] have a weakness to certain mundane things, though what exactly can harm their mortal form, or expel and extinguish their corrupted souls varies greatly: sunlight, salt, silver, cold iron, cats, living wood or blessed implements are all fairly common, though some [vampires] have contrived to have more obscure weaknesses.
I agree with this approach. I’ve made a d100 chart for vampire weaknesses.
I included the classic Bram Stoker weaknesses like garlic, plus a few dozen other common objects, creatures, and activities. The purpose of this chart is to turn vampires from a solve-once “puzzle species” into a series of “puzzle monsters,” each of which must be solved individually.
I want each vampire to be defeatable with a little investigation, so the weaknesses have to be advertised in some way. Many of the vampire weaknesses here are common items: a pale Old World noble might excite comment by recoiling from pepper or white clothes, which will be a good tell. Furthermore, every vampire is obsessed with its weakness. A vampire who fears songbirds might have an empty bird cage in its lair. One who hates lutes music might own a dozen unstrung lutes, or frequently proclaim its love of bardic music.
To populate the weakness table, I drew inspiration from the 5e trinkets table. It would be cool if some of that useless crap turned out to be a lifesaver against a vampire.
Vampire rules change: the Vampire Weakness trait is amended as follows. Sunlight hypersensitivity and stake to the heart are retained. Forbiddance and Harmed by running water are removed. Roll on the following chart to determine a new weakness. The sight/sound/smell of the weakness causes the vampire to act as if Turned. Furthermore, contact with the weakness (or being within 5 feet of the source of a sound or smell) does 20 acid damage and prevents shape change and regeneration until the end of the vampire’s next turn.
Note: this table can also be used for fairies, devils and other rules-bound creatures.
Vampire weaknesses: roll d100
1-2: Silver
3-4: Gold
5-6: Horseshoes
7-8: Needles
9-10: Mirrors
11-12: Clocks
13-14: Stained glass
15-16: Dolls
17-18: Feathers
19-20: Combs
21-22: Pearls
23-24: Oak wood
25-26: Bread
27-28: Garlic
29-30: Salt
31-32: Pepper
33-34: The inside of a house into which the vampire was not invited
35-36: The scent of flowers
37-38: Tobacco smoke
39-40: Green flame
41-42: Cooked meat
43-44: Wine
45-46: Milk
47-48: Running water
49-50: Any water
51-52: Fey creatures
53-54: Mummies and mummified things
55-56: Old people
57-58: Dirty people
59-60: White clothes
61-62: A children’s rhyme
63-64: Music from a specific musical instrument
65-66: Being mocked for a particular feature
67-68: An ancient language
69-70: Its own name, or the name of someone from its past
71-72: The face of its victims
73-74: Cats
75-76: Children
77-78: Bare feet
79-80: Songbirds
81-82: Roosters
83-84: Skulls
85-86: The queen of hearts, the red dragon, or another playing card
87-88: True love
89-90: Extracted teeth
91-100: Roll twice more on this table. If you roll the same result multiple times, the vampire is even more obsessed with this item, and contact damage increases by 20.
You forgot church bells.
Also Vervain
In the Dracula story if I remember right, it was not so much garlic as an unbroken ring of garlic flowers around the various portals into a room that provided the warding power.
Only the Crucifix caused the classic hissing, averting the gaze and other Lon Chaney Jr moves.
I loved the X files thing where they could be stopped temporarily by dropping small items in disorder on the floor, forcing the vampire to stop and tidy them. Needles, M&Ms, coins. And the shoe-untying thing was hysterical.
I think that the real problem with Vampires in D&D is the lack of Portentous Events that should accompany the presence of a vampire, inducing dread and hysterical paranoia in villagers. Plagues of cockroaches, crop failures, foul weather etc.
But then, I am by temperament a Call of Cthulhu GM.
Don’t forget sunlight!
You can tell by crazy colored eyes.it was believed by some that vampires had 2 sharp teeth in the very front.the classic vampire trait is dark clothes and cape to protect the being from the sun and the eyes of snoops and to be dark.the latest trait is all about leather.vampires have slaves and servants who serve them with blood finding victims work and possibly sex.
I find it interesting that modern DMs so determinedly remove the symbols of Christianity from these lists, when they are the most irresistible, backed as they are (at least in the mythology) by an Omnipotent Force.
Rather silly, that.
Thank you for the update information about this subject
I feel like the any water one is not true
vampire really excite?
this is all stupid
Great info! Thanks for taking the time to share with us.
Oh and sunlight, crosses, mother Mary, holy water, olive oil, halo, wolvesbane, roses, steak, carols, churches, Star of David, crescent, and ghosts
joe mama is very big 69420
I don’t understand! How come the
re’s no sunlight or iron? Also no crosses, crescents, roses holy water, churches. I also don’t think true love is true. Because any vampire can fall in love. But still your efforts are appreciated . I thank you for giving cats. Because I love cats. Thank you.