Editing Gladius et Aegis: Arcane Nature Traits (section)

=Vampire=

===Campaign Setting Notes===

Selecting this trait means that you are a ''Vampire'' - once human, but now undead, thanks to the cursed Embrace of your vampiric sire.

Vampires also refer to themselves as ''the Blood, the Damned'' and ''the Family''. Commonly they refer to the vampiric condition as the ''Curse'', but also as the ''Dark Gift'' or the ''Endless Night''.

Vampiric powers are referred to as ''Blessings of the Blood'', or simply ''Dominions''. They are not taught, but rather occur as a natural (or more accurately, unnatural) part of the vampiric condition. Certain powers tend to run along certain bloodlines, but also new powers often emerge with age and experience, or through the copious consumption of the blood of supernaturals, be they other vampire, or any other creature with magic within them.

Vampires are not naturally gregarious, and usually view each other as competitors in the hunt. They often dislike each other intensely, but they're also savvy enough to know that the rest of the supernatural world likely hates them even more, so they cooperate for the sake of personal survival. Blood isn't just about sustenance to vampires, but also about power, and it is the pursuit of power that motivates most Vampires, coming second only to fear of mortality and the desire to survive and live forever.

Most Vampires pay lip service to ''The Circle of Night'', but will often associate with other factions too, as their loyalty goes only to the faction that best serves their needs and desires. Few Vampires serve ''Gladius et Aegis'', and those that do are almost invariably younger vampires, who are clinging to the idea that their former humanity still exists and are determined to live moral lives even if their very essence tells them that morality is redundant to them. Vampires of ''Gladius et Aegis'' are often so determined to be as human as possible that they can seem excessively moral to their allies. It is perhaps the struggle to deny their own nature that forces them to be strait-laced, and perhaps also an understanding that if they are to earn trust, they cannot show even a hint of their inner darkness.

''Vampires'' usually follow the ''Shadow Concordat'' strictly, and its rumoured that the ''Circle of Night'' metes out dire punishments to the Damned who slip up on this. In particular there is a strong emphasis on the importance of secrecy.

New Vampires are not created often, as a sire must surrender a little of his power (a permanent -1 Puissance) to turn a mortal human, and they rarely have any desire to share the world with yet another competitor. Often when sires create new progeny, they do so because they have been forced to do so by vampires with more power than them, who see it both as an opportunity to weaken the sire, and to further their own interests. The ''Circle of Night'', for example, sometimes sees the need for a strategic policy of gradually increasing vampire numbers to increase their faction's relative power in an area, and will force an expendable vampire to almost deplete his entire essence in creating new progeny. The number of vampires in the world is hard to measure, but likely lies somewhere between one and two thousand.

The nature of these sorts of arrangements mean that most Sires resent their Progeny, and many Progeny hate their Sires for cursing them with vampirism. Also, its more common for a vampire to be introduced to the long night by a proxy than by their own Sire.

Odd exceptions to this pattern do exist, but are rare. Sometimes a more humane vampire might fall in love, and seek to keep his beloved from aging. Sometimes, a benevolent vampire might give the Dark Gift out of mercy or compassion to a human who is going to die. Sadly, even these creations often end in tragedy...


===Character Generation Guidelines===

Above average ''in Physicality, Socialisation'' and ''Intellect'' is recommended, to reflect the general increase in capabilities that comes with becoming a vampire. The low to moderate ''Puissance'' scores that come with this trade off are in keeping with vampiric nature as well, as supernatural power is not something that is easily increased for vampires. a higher ''Puissance'' generally reflects great age and experience.

Recommended ''Background Traits'' include ''Web of Intrigue'', ''Concordat Diligent'' and ''Old Money''. Vampires are also power-hungry, so traits that reflect power acquired so far are also appropriate.
Recommended ''Internal Traits'' include ''Self Preservation'' and ''Desire for Control.''


===Benefits of being a '''Vampire'''===

* '''Arcana:''' You have supernatural abilities linked to your vampiric condition. This is the source of your Arcana. 
* '''Undead resilience:''' As you are essentially a corpse animated by cursed blood, you don't have to worry about a lot of mortal frailties. You don't need to eat food, drink (other than blood), breathe, sweat or excrete. In fact, you can't do these things even if you wanted to. Extremes of temperature don't bother you, at least short of the temperatures that freeze or boil your blood. You suffer general discomfort far less - pain feels somewhat abstract to you, loud noises won't give you a headache, silence won't make you nervous, pitch darkness or bright light are equally fine. Even physical attacks don't worry you greatly - the flesh is just a shell, and it isn't your organs that keep you going, but the Blood. Almost all physical attacks inflict ''Fatigue'' on you rather than ''Impairment'', and factors that would cause physical ''Fatigue'' to mortal humans often won't effect you at all.
* '''The Kiss:''' Vampiric saliva is replaced with a potent soporific drug that renders humans in a state of soporific bliss for a minute or more, and clouds their memory either side of exposure as well. This drug requires direct skin contact. The Kiss makes feeding a lot easier for Vampires, as it stops victims from resisting and hides the event from the victim's mind. The Kiss doesn't require feeding: it can be used for other practical purposes too. Other supernaturals are effected by The Kiss to varying degrees. Other Vampires are unaffected. "Mostly humans" like wizards and warlocks are no safer against The Kiss than ordinary mortals, though they're more likely to know about it and to seek to avoid it.
* '''Fangs:''' All Vampires can extend and retract their fangs at will. Fangs aren't terribly practical for fighting purposes, but are useful enough for feeding.
* '''Undying:''' Vampires do not age and can theoretically live forever. Also, if destroyed by any means other than sunlight, then they will gradually heal even seemingly fatal injuries, though they will need blood to do so (1 point of blood over 1 night will heal 1 level of injury, or all impairment and all fatigue). If they have no blood (for example if they have been burnt to a pile of ash) then pouring blood over the remains will reanimate them. Death by sunlight, however, is true and final death.

===Drawbacks of being a '''Vampire'''===

* '''The Hunger:''' The less ''Blood Pool'' you have, the hungrier for blood you are. If your Blood Pool is empty, then the Hunger overtakes you immediately. If it is not empty, but equal or less than your ''Puissance'', then you must pass increasingly difficult Intellect tests to control yourself if exposed to the sight or smell of blood. If it is above this level you still feel desire to feed, but can control it. When you are overtaken by the ''Hunger'' you lose control of your own actions, seeking to feed by any means possible, regardless of danger. The Hunger passes only once you have filled your ''Blood Pool''.
* '''Vampiric Vulnerabilities:''' Silver weapons and fire harm you as easily as they would harm a mortal human. True faith, holy symbols and holy ground can drive you back, though strong willpower (and an Intellect test) can overcome this. Garlic does nothing to you, however. Sunlight is the worst: for each combat round (or few seconds) that you are exposed to direct sunlight, you take 1 Physical Fatigue damage. Indirect sunlight during the day does the same, but more slowly (1 Fatigue per minute). A wooden stake through the heart will paralyse you till it is removed.
* '''Daytime weakness:''' You cannot use Arcana between dawn and dusk. During the day, you lose 1 Blood Pool just from the sheer effort required to remain undead. Your attributes are all at -1 dice penalty during the day. You sleep much as a human sleeps, but this is due to quiescence and fatigue of the blood during the day rather than a need for physical rest. You need a minimum of (''Puissance'') hours of sleep per 24 hours, though never more than the number of hours between dawn and dusk. If you do not receive this much sleep, then you lose all your remaining ''Blood Pool''. 

===Other Effects of being a '''Vampire'''===

* '''The Blood:''' You draw power from the Blood, and must record a Blood Pool score on your character sheet. The maximum Blood Pool score you can have is equal to three times your ''Puissance'' attribute. For example, if you have a ''Puissance'' of 3, you have a maximum ''Blood Pool'' score of 9. Each time you use any ''Arcana'', you must spend at least one point from your Blood Pool, up to a maximum equal to your ''Puissance'' attribute. Each Blood Pool you spend adds +1 to your Puissance test for the purpose of that single usage of the ''Arcana''. For example, if you have a ''Puissance'' of 3, you could spend up to 3 Blood Pool in order to roll up to 6 dice on the test. You can only regain blood by feeding on the blood of other creatures. Human blood gives you back 1 Blood Pool point for each pint you take. The blood of creatures with a Puissance score is far more potent, giving you a number of Blood Pool points equal to their Puissance for each pint you take. Animal blood is less potent, requiring two or three times as much blood for the same benefit as feeding on a human. Also, more potent blood tastes better, and animal blood is barely palatable. Volume is not an issue when feeding - the consumed liquid is mystically transformed into your inner essence. A vampire can keep feeding long after his Blood Pool score is maximised: this "gorging" provides no practical benefit, but is intensely pleasurable for the vampire. You can also lose blood through bleeding, but vampiric bodies bleed far less easily than human bodies. For each point of ''Physical Injury'' you suffer, you lose 1 point of Blood Pool. You can't use Arcana without spending Blood Pool. Also, you can't use Arcana between dawn and dusk, regardless of whether you are exposed to sunlight or not.
* '''Stasis:''' A vampire cannot spend XP normally - essentially, at the moment of death he is trapped in a state of metaphysical stasis. While he might gain new memories, he won't learn anything. An eight hundred year old vampire might never master the internet or the telephone or the automobile. Even vampiric powers are fixed in this sense - any powers he begins his existence with come through the essence given by his sire. However, it is clear that old vampire ''are'' more powerful and the reason for this is because the power of their blood can grow, though only in a predatory fashion. To represent this, Vampire characters must track a separate trait called ''Blood Potential''. This score starts at zero, but increases by 1 for every fifty years that pass. Also, if a vampire kills and drinks the last few drops of blood of any creature with a Puissance score, he gains +X Blood Potential, where X is their Puissance score. This is called the "heartsblood" by vampires, and it is by consuming heartsblood of magi, other vampires or any other supernatural creature that vampires can accelerate their growth. Whenever a vampire wants to spend XP, he must spend exactly half of the cost in ''Blood Potential'' instead. For example, if he wants to increase an Attribute (normally cost 20XP) then he must spend 10XP and 10 Blood Potential instead. This is both a boon and limitation for Vampire player characters, as it means they could theoretically advance twice as fast as other players, but might also be held back from advancing till they can make a kill. 
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