Dark Continent Redux: Adventure Background

Dark Continent Redux

A Fantasy Core Adventure

© Jerry Harris 2016

Published here as Open Game Content.

(This link will take you to the Fantasy Core Playtest Rules.)

Dark Continent Index

Adventure Background

This adventure revolves around Kurtz, a wizard and an ambitious, adventurous ivory merchant.  He came seeking fame and fortune.  He managed to achieve both when he found the Dragon’s Boneyard deep in the Interior and made off with a haul of enchanted bones from there.  Fearing the graveyard’s guardian, a dragon named Hellion, Kurtz kept the location a secret and did not return.  Instead of returning to his home country, he built a magnificent mansion in the Interior near his station and sent for his Intended fiancée.  (Conrad didn’t name her.  I won’t either.)             

Hellion eventually found out about the theft and started to hunt for the thief.  Kurtz became aware of the hunt and kept his Intended at Home Station.  Needing more power, he decided to follow up on rumors of a Forbidden City.  No natives would go near it, so he set out with a large number of colonial adventurers.  (Hmm.  An opening for a possible prequel adventure?) 

Most of the party would be wiped out before the massive, ancient, devastated city was found and would be even further whittled down before they came to the Infinite Temple.  There they found hibernating Serpent Men, the previous legendary masters of this land, and their monstrous sleeping Master.  This trespass aroused the Serpent Men caretakers and the party would be captured, except for Kurtz.  His high-level magic powers bought him instant respect. The Serpent Men’s cause was, of course, re-conquest of the continent, but they lacked the ability to access even their own ancient knowledge, much less the discovery of new and more potent magic.  Kurtz threw in with them and his men did as well.  With Kurtz’s power added to the Serpent Men’s, suddenly a successful war was a possibility.

Kurtz began sending back missives to the colonial government about a native uprising that he was fighting.  Meanwhile wearing a new identity, he began inciting and bullying various native tribes into rebelling.  He has been leading both sides into destroying each other.  He might lead an attack on a colonial settlement in disguise, while later openly destroying a native village in retaliation for the attack.

After learning more magical knowledge from the Serpent Men’s old spell books and experimenting, Kurtz began enticing natives into the temple.  He and the Serpent Men used them as a mass sacrifice to summon a protective barrier around the temple isle and rendered it effectively invisible and invulnerable.  Using powerful summoning spells, Kurtz turned his own compatriots into demonic servitors. 

[Paladin Smite will have full effect on Kurtz’s Demon Host creatures (as will a Ghost Hunter’s Divine Radiance, though they’d be rather out-of-place in this setting).  They could conceivably be turned back into humans with an Exorcism ceremony.  Perhaps they could be valuable sources of information against Kurtz, perhaps they go hopelessly mad.  Who knows?]  

Several allied tribes of natives have been devolved into savage creatures.  Kurtz has taught some native Witchdoctors potent magic.  Other natives have been massacred and are in the process of being turned into undead.  Currently, Kurtz is hedging on waking up the rest of the Serpent Men (doesn’t trust them), and instead has been working on a ceremony to draw out the Serpent Men’s mysterious Master.

Now having some real power behind him, Kurtz confronted Hellion and proposed a peace.  He would keep the graveyard safe from further, inevitable intrusion.  In return, the dragon would support Kurtz’s coming campaign to drive out the colonists and subjugate the natives.  He also promised to dispatch agents to retrieve the stolen bones, as much as they might still be intact.

Other forces are now moving.  Certain members of the colonial leadership have become aware of Kurtz’s duplicity, and want him quietly eliminated.  Hellion is becoming increasingly apprehensive of Kurtz’s power and their relationship.  The dragon is now in a position of having to take orders and suspects that Kurtz is trying to have him killed off.  The natives themselves are not without an advocate.  A colossal, intelligent, giant snake named Satha is revered as their secret, living god deep in the jungle.  Of course, he is fighting the colonists and been working subtly against them.  Kurtz and the Serpent Men are now a more immediate threat.  Satha is moving to stop them, but many of his own natives have abandoned him.

NMSU Aggies vs Missouri Tigers Softball 3-19-16 Game 2

Game 1

During the double header intermission, the large crowd rushed out en mass while I was writing down the final score.  They weren’t at the food trailer, which was mostly deserted.  I hope I didn’t see some of the Tiger girls using the public restroom.  Surely there are facilities in the Visitor’s clubhouse.  I also saw the two fire trucks that firemen had arrived in parked out front.

The hot dog from the trailer was questionable-looking and nuclear hot in the wrapper to the point that I almost dropped it.  It tasted okay, as did the popcorn (I’m not touching the nachos again).  I would have paid $50 for the Coke Zero, which could not have hit the spot more precisely for my thirst.  Out on the field, the grounds crew was redrawing the area around home plate with a template and dragging the infield with a tractor.  Some the Aggie girls were out on the grass in front of the dugout, having a snack and a chat.   

Intermission felt like 20 minutes, if not less.  I hadn’t finished my meal and didn’t even go to the bathroom.  Holding my piss would turn out to be the least of my physical troubles in watching Game Two.  The wind shifted and was blowing in, not a lot, but it was cold.  I put on my jacket, which left my rear on the cold, hard metal bleachers, which did not make me any warmer.  I think the temperature ended up dropping about 30 degrees when I finally surrendered Stalingrad to the Russians at the end of the game.  The Aggies have a cute trainer who was in really short shorts for Game One.  I hope she covered up at some point. 

  

Much of the crowd didn’t return for the second game.  As the score ended up getting out of hand and the weather got colder, the fans whittled down even further.  Hey, even the Missouri fans complaining about the cold.  I couldn't believe that some of the Tiger fans didn’t even come back for the second game.  Where were they going?  In the first inning, some of the firemen left in a hurry, talking on their walkie-talkies.  In the second, the rest left, also in a hurry.  At least those guys had an excuse. 

As the temperature turned colder and the score became more lopsided, the crowd deserted.  The row where I was sitting had several hard core senior Aggie fans.  In particular, there was one older gentlemen who was indefatigable in his cheering.  God bless this fellow, but he was getting way too into the game.  Even I was getting uncomfortable.  As the game dragged on and the Aggies got buried deeper, the remaining crowd began turning on the home plate umpire with a vengeance.  He hadn’t been helping himself with his strike zone during the game, but was now getting it on every pitch.  I was getting nervous sitting near the hecklers.  I didn’t want to be ejected. The old man did get in a couple of good digs, such as “You want our opinion or not?”  There was a couple that came in with a guide dog, when they left, the old man shouted, “You’re in trouble ump.  Your dog just left.”

There wasn’t a lot of drama in this game, so I’ll give you the score up front, 14-3 Tigers.  I broke down and looked at the official scorecard on the website (or alternately, I remembered that I could get the official scorecard off the website).  There was one bottom line for this game: Missouri scored 12 unearned runs.  While the Tigers certainly had their hitting shoes on for this game, the Aggies pretty much self-destructed.      

#14 Paige Lowary for the Tigers and #11 Makayla McAdams for the Aggies started the game.  Yes, they were the ones who finished Game One.  Over the three games, both teams only used four pitchers each.  Makayla would even end up being re-inserted at the end to finish this game.  I still don’t understand the substitution rules for college softball.  Several times, pitchers on both teams were pulled out of the game in the middle of at-bats.  Given how stressful the pitching motion looks (and sounds), I can’t believe the workload isn’t blowing everyone’s arms out.  Maybe it’s not as bad as it looks.  I did notice #21 Karysta Donisthrope didn’t come back out for Game Two, after a short appearance in Game One.  I think she was being held to start the Sunday game.     

During the game, there were a couple of items that I found interesting.  In the fourth, #22 Fahren Glackin came into the game for the Aggies with lots of encouragement from the crowd.  Once again, she had a very distinctive pitching motion, starting with a Johnny Cueto-like twist and a submarine-ish delivery that finished with a shout.  In the sixth, #2 Emily Crane of the Tigers hit an inside the park home run, in spite of what my scorecard says (I got out of order).  Given the dimensions of the diamond, any bobble in the outfield will be extra bases.  I didn’t hear the Missouri dugout until the seventh inning when the game got completely out of hand.  It might have been the acoustics of the stadium that kept me from hearing them before, or that the crowd had mostly cleared out.  The Aggie dugout never stopped cheering for the team for the whole game. 

My players of the game for the Tigers would be #7 Natalie Fleming for her two home runs, and again #14 Paige Lowary for dominating Aggie batting.  For the Aggies, #23 Fiana Finau had another good game with another pair doubles.  Overall though, the Aggies made too many mistakes against a good team and paid for it. 

    

After the game, the girls on both teams lined up to shake hands.  The Aggie girls then all gathered on the mound and in one voice said, “Thank you!”  The moment was so precious, I wished I could bottle it.  Overall, it was five-plus hours at the ballpark.  I could have wished for a win or two, or perhaps at least thinking to bring a heavier jacket.  However, I more than enjoyed myself watching the girls (not as much as that old man was though).  Undaunted, I’ll be back for Sunday’s game.

                                 

Dark Continent Redux: Setting Background

Dark Continent Redux

A Fantasy Core Adventure

© Jerry Harris 2016

Published here as Open Game Content.

(This link will take you to the Fantasy Core Playtest Rules.)

Dark Continent Index

  

Setting Background

The Commonwealth is a global empire with colonies across the world.  The Africannes colony is deep in the interior of a jungle continent rich with precious ivory and gems.  The markets at the Home Station capital attract merchants and agents from other empires, such as the Hegemony and the Oriental Empire.  The foreign intrigue here is strictly limited to the coastal city however, with the Interior legally closed to them.  

Unlike the Southland, Africannes already had a native human population when the Commonwealth colonized it.  Compared with the Commonwealth, they were woefully primitive and politically and socially divided.  In spite of the natives’ much greater numbers, the Commonwealth’s superior weapons and magic knowledge allowed them to take over almost without conflict.  A mere show of force was typically all that was necessary to secure cooperation from most tribes.  Any battles were short and lopsided and ended in native surrender. 

The Colonial forces have not brutalized the natives en mass, nor enslaved them.  They need the workers for the mines and guides for the Interior.  The official policy towards the natives is one of enticement and remuneration for services and land.  Not to say it’s fair or equitable, but the natives are paid.  By comparison, the Hegemony states in Africannes have nothing but slave-driven economies, with their slaves made eunuchs, and in the Oriental Empire’s past, they simply exterminated native populations in invasions.  

The Africannes native population was effectively subjected.  The Commonwealth doesn’t call it that, or even see their colonization as invasion.  They do not see the natives as having any sort of organized political state with which to go to war.  The colonists see themselves as bringing civilization to the hinterlands.  Honestly, the average native is probably no better or worse off for the invasion.   Conquest and slavery have long ruled the area before the coming of the Commonwealth.  The natives are not legally citizens of the Commonwealth to this point, but have some legal rights and some small government representation, and have some money and access to more advanced goods.  Regardless, one thing is sure, the natives are not in charge of their own country.

Dark Continent Redux: Introduction

Dark Continent Redux

A Fantasy Core Adventure

© Jerry Harris 2016

Published here as Open Game Content.

(This link will take you to the Fantasy Core Playtest Rules.)

Setting Background

Adventure Background

Character Setup/Ref Setup

Colonial Forces

The Native Warrior NPC Class

Native Forces

Home Station and Central Station

The Interior
The Forbidden City

The Infinite Temple

Conclusion

Introduction

[Or should I say, “Dark Continent Do Over?”  The first time I posted this faux “Adventure Path,” Fantasy Core hadn’t been written yet and I no longer had my AD&D books, thus I couldn’t stat anything out.  I’ve always felt bad about that.  Just posting the text seemed like too much of a tease.  This time we’ll do it proper with maps and stat blocks, along with cleaning up, tightening up, and expanding the adventure.  I still don’t have the 5e books, so no stats for that this time, but it shouldn’t be too laborious to convert.]    

This adventure setting was inspired by Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and Francis Ford Coppala’s Apocalypse Now.  (Dante’s Inferno gave some inspiration to them both).  The Japanese anime classic Ninja Scroll inspired the main villains. 

The colony herein is based on the old Belgian Congo in Africa, currently Zaire.  This adventure follows the “Africannes” (Short A-Free-Cans) River inland (cf. Congo River).  The Characters will going up river into the jungle colony to find and eliminate, err… terminate with extreme prejudice, an insane wizard, Kurtz.

The colonial and native human (and demi-human, as you will) inhabitants of the continent are clearly physically differentiated.  The differences are up to the group to decide upon.  The morality of conditions in the colony are likewise up to group to exploit or ignore.  There are situations and events in the adventure for the players to react to, but there is little narrative judgment on them. 

By the end of these adventures, the players may wish to “go native” and lead the rebellion.  Or, they may want to enter into the struggle for power in the colonial government.  Or, they may have completely different objectives.  These choices will be beyond the scope of this adventure.  Regardless of any side the players choose, the group should have ample motivation to go after Kurtz.  They will learn that he is a deadly threat to both sides and everyone in the country.

This adventure derives some inspiration from The Mountain Witch RPG, as well as an inspired account of a game using Apocalypse Now as the setting.  Putting a snitch, a loyalty officer, a foreign operative, a native sympathizer, a rival colonial political agent, and even a member loyal to Kurtz could make for an interesting game, depending on the party.  If I were running the game, I’d play it straight.  The group is likely to have enough problems without fratricide being one of them.   

Possible Fantasy Core Rules Change

I keep referring to the Fantasy Core PDF as “Playtest rules.”  This is because it really hasn’t been tested enough to be considered playable without some scrutiny.  I think they work in principle, but in practice, the rules likely need some adjustments. 

After writing out most of this, it seemed obvious that the XP system laid out in the rules wasn’t going to work.  Nobody in the group would be leveling up over the course of the adventure under those rules, which seems ridiculous given the task in front of them.  I don’t like the idea of making the XP awards bigger (but go ahead if you do), so I’m adjusting the tables instead.  I’d suggest using these for the adventure, but it’s still a work in progress.  The Characters in the adventure should start off from 5^th to 7^th level.  I’d hope they’d gain at least two levels by the end.

Levels 2 – 5                             Levels 6 – 10

2^nd      10 XP/1 Major Task          6^th      15 XP/1 Major Task

3^rd      10 XP/1 Major Task          7^th      15 XP/1 Major Task

4^th      10 XP/1 Major Task          8^th      15 XP/1 Major Task

5^th       10 XP/1 Major Task           9^th      15 XP/1 Major Task

                                              10^th     20 XP/2 Major Tasks

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NMSU Aggies vs Missouri Tigers Softball 3-19-16 Game 1

I’m happy to be back at the New Mexico State Softball complex for a couple of games.  I’ve missed the girls.  A cool breeze offset a warm sun in mid-afternoon.  There’s hardly a cloud in the sky.  I’ve been looking forward to these games with Missouri, currently ranked #15 in the country.  I’m from Missouri, but this will not obscure my allegiance to the hometown team.  It’s impressive that the Aggie program has been able to get Oklahoma and Missouri to come here this season.  (The baseball team has to travel to get ranked opponents.) 

Looking around the stands, I can see that Mizzou has brought their fans with them.  They were easily identifiable in their shiny new black and yellow gear.  Early on, before the game started, they may have been equal in number to the crimson, black, and white Aggie fans, but that was temporary.  The crowd, as per the newspaper, was over 550.  The grandstand theoretically would hold nearly twice that many, but not comfortably, so it was functionally a full house.  Many of the Aggie softball fans are senior citizens (not myself, not yet).  By and large, the attractive young women at the baseball games, aren’t here, but there do seem to be several unattached young men in attendance.  (I’m not guessing why, just calling it like I see it.)  There were some families there.  There was a little girl somewhere behind me, cheering on the Aggie girls by name, which was cute.  Even some of the Missouri fans brought their kids, which was surprising.  I didn’t overhear a lot of chatter from them, other than mentioning the Ole Miss softball games had free admission, but charged $5 for water.

The best reason to go to an NM State softball game is the girls on the team, specifically their spirit.  They’re just fun to watch.  They are young women, serious about playing the game, but enjoying themselves like a bunch of rambunctious girls.  This time (as opposed to last time), I sat on the opposing dugout side of the grand stand, which allowed me to see into the Aggie dugout.  (With the intimate nature of the softball field dimensions, you’re not going to be able to see both.)  Before the game, they gathered out on the grass in front of the dugout and began a happy, laughing pre-game ritual that bordered on performance art.  As the opposing lineup was introduced, they rhythmically clapped for them.  The Missouri girls lined up in front of me as they were called.  I have to admit, with their generally long blonde hair and tall, lean bodies, they were an attractive squadron of Valkyries.  (Our team at least had better-looking uniforms.)  The Aggie reserves lined up on their side and all bent down to write something in the dirt, as the starters ran out onto the field.

In the top of the first, I got my first sense of the Missouri fans in the crowd.  After a homer by #51 Sami Fagan, I hear “M-I-Z” from one side of the stadium, and a callback from the other, “Z-O-U!”  I got to hear this quite a bit over three games, as they did it with strikeouts, too.  The wind was blowing out to right for Game 1 and likely aided in the four homers total during the game and their length.  The crowd collectively gasped a few times.  Judging from the distances listed on the walls, I’d guess a few went over 250’.  The Aggies did not score in their half of the first, but definitely won the cheering.  I wish I could have recorded this.  The girls in the dugout were singing walk-up music for the girls coming to bat.  They were good too and had a rhythm section to boot.  I got my $5 worth right there.

#21 Karysta Donisthrope, one of my favorites, started the game.  Regrettably, it wasn’t her day.  The strike zone was tight and she was a bit wild.  #14 Kayla Green, my other favorite, came in in the second.  No smiles this time.  She gave up a long shot to right to #2 Emily Crane, but otherwise held the Tigers down, though the score was an intimidating 7-0.  Defensively, #10 Amy Bergeson made a great diving catch in left field in the fourth and again in the fifth.  As usual, good defense sparks the offense. 

The Tiger starter, #10 Danielle Baumgartner (whom the program doubtfully lists as being from Mexico [Edit: she's from Mexico, Missouri, which is a real place]), had a unique pitching motion, twisting, then making a ballet-like pose, before delivering the ball.  She only had one bad inning and was chased from the game.  The Aggies to mounted a comeback in the fourth and fifth, scoring six runs, which got them within one run.  Offensive highlights included catcher #9 Tatum Reedy drilling a home run over the sponsor board to right and #5 Emma Adams making a great slide at home, slapping the plate around the tag.      

A pair of pitching changes seemed to finally decide the game.  In the sixth, Kayla left after walking the first batter.  She seemed gassed.  #11 Makayla McAdams came into the game and surrendered two runs.  The Tigers were up by three, 9-6.  After two quick appearances by other relievers, the Tigers brought in #14 Paige Lowary.  Her and the second baseman (basegirl?  basewoman?  baseperson?) wore face masks in play, perhaps because of a previous mishap, perhaps they were protecting their assets.  With two on, Lowary and Reedy had a lengthy battle that probably went near 10 pitches.  The at bat ended in a strikeout.  Lowary would rack up at least 16 (forgive my ambiguous scorekeeping) over the three games.  In the bottom 6th, the Tigers employed an interesting shift counter the swinging bunt style batters, as they brought up one of the outfielders to the infield.  This time, it resulted in two strikeouts.  The Aggies would not be able to score again and final was 9-6, Missouri Tigers.

My players of the game for the Tigers would be #51 Sami Fagan for her two home runs, and #14 Paige Lowary for slamming the door at the end.  For the Aggies, #23 Fiana Finau had a good day at the plate, going 3 for 4 with an RBI.  Again, #10 Amy Bergeson was a real spark on defense, and #14 Kayla Green made a good hold in the middle of the game. 

On to Game 2.

                               

Artifacts: Postcards from Graceland

My Aunt sent these postcards with a Christmas package.  At last, a picture of the Jungle Room so I can remodel my apartment.    

Fantasy Core RPG: Vampire Lord

FANTASY CORE RPG

UNDEAD AND DEMONICALLY POSSESSED CREATURES

(c) Jerry Harris, 2016

Published here as Open Game Content.

(This link will take you to the Fantasy Core Playtest Rules.)

Creature Index

Vampire Lord

HD 8 (d12), Hp 96, AC 17* (Natural, they dislike wearing any armor, Magic or silver to hit, immune to electricity, poison, and acid), Enhanced Init +4

Fort +6, Ref +6, Will +10

Melee: 2 x Slam +8 to hit, 1d6+4 + Energy Drain DC 12 Will Sv or lose 1d4 negative hp.  Vampires dislike using weapons.  They don’t want to waste their victim’s blood.  They prefer rapiers if need be +7 to hit, 1d6+4.

Embrace: Vampires may directly drain blood (hp) with their fangs from opponents and regenerate themselves with it.  Any stunned or mesmerized victim may be immediately Embraced.  In combat, if both Slam attacks hit the same opponent in 1 rd, the Vampire may immediately grapple and Embrace.  In either case, the Vampire drains 5 hp in blood from them, which is then added to any of the Vampire’s lost hp. 

If the Vampire continues to Embrace, it is a DC 18 Str Check (or Escape Artist Skill) to break off.  The next rd ½ total hp remaining (at least 5) are drained.  The next rd all remaining hp are drained.  All drained hp is added to any of the Vampire’s lost hp.

The Vampire and the victim are considered to be helpless while in the act, but the Vampire can break off contact at any time.  After an Embrace attack, the Vampire cannot move or attack the next rd, but can defend themselves.  (This is why they prefer use it on helpless opponents and not in combat.)

Ranged: +8 to hit, to hit if using a Ranged weapon, but 1 attack/rd. 

Stealth: +8

Tracking: +8 (If there is a blood trail, they will automatically find anyone they’re looking for.)

Infravision

Healing: Vampire Lords can heal all lost hp with 1 turn of rest after a feeding of at least 5 hp of blood, but without that feeding, they cannot heal. 

Immortal: As long as they feed daily at least 5 hp worth of blood, Vampire Lords are animated.  They will become desperate if somehow prevented from feeding for a day.  Without feeding, the next day, they go into a state of torpor, requiring blood to be fed to them to come back to life.

Telepathy: Can read the surface thoughts of anyone within Short range, making it very difficult to sneak up on a Vampire Lord.  The subject gains a DC 18 Will Sv to actively mentally hide information that the Vampire Lord may be probing for.

Mesmerize: Can stun a victim for 2 rds by making concentrated eye contact.  DC 18 Will Sv to avoid if in a non-combat situation.  DC 12 if engaged in combat. 

Dominate: Can completely mentally take over a victim for 1 turn.  They must be Mesmerized first.  DC 18 Will Sv for the victim in a non-combat situation.  DC 12 in combat.  (A Vampire Lord will likely only bother trying this in combat if confronted with obviously low or no-level Characters or NPC’s, and then only as a distraction.)  A Vampire Lord may only Dominate 1 person a turn.  A victim who is completely Dominated for 3 days in a row becomes a permanent Thrall of the Vampire Lord. 

Thralls: The Vampire Lord will be telepathically linked to everyone they’ve completely Dominated, allowing them to control their Thralls and have access to their senses.  They are able to control up to 16 Thralls at a time.  Any others who have been completely Dominated and released are still susceptible.  If the Vampire Lord makes contact with an ex-Thrall, they need only Dominate them once to reestablish them as a Thrall.  A Break Enchantment spell (DC 18) is needed to end this arrangement.

Summon: A full rd action.  Any Thralls of the Vampire Lord will immediately come when called as soon as they can.  They will fight to the death for their master.

Sires: A Vampire Lord can create (Sire) lesser Vampires by feeding them their blood and sacrificing them.  This is typically only done on willing and loyal subjects, perhaps for immortal companionship or to protect themselves against other Vampire Lords and adventurers or for other reasons. 

A Vampire Lord may create as many Sires as they want, but the rub is that they can’t control all of them directly all the time.  Vampire Lords are typically loathe to Sire new Vampires for this reason.  Lords will virtually never Sire someone with magical powers (too dangerous to them).  More Vampires also creates additional competition for feeding and increased Vampiric activity may attract unwanted attention.  Still, Sires are mostly loyal to any summons, if not out of friendship, alliance, or opportunity, then fear.   

Vampiric Domination: While Vampires are usually immune to Vampiric mental powers, Vampire Lords can try to Dominate lesser Vampires for 1 turn.  They get a DC 12 Will Sv and it can only be attempted once per turn.  For Vampires of their own Bloodline (their Clan), it’s DC 18 and lasts for 1 day.  (Lesser Vampires may do their Lord’s will without being Dominated, if it’s in their best interests.)  This does not require the Vampire to be Mesmerized first.  Vampire Lords cannot make Thralls of lesser Vampires.  Vampire Lords cannot Dominate one another. 

Creation: Vampire Lords are 8^th level Warlocks.  Their motivation to become a Vampire may be the result of having taken too much permanent damage from a failed ceremony spells, an inability to progress as a Wizard, seeking an easier path to power, a desire for immortality, and other reasons.  The ceremony involves an unholy space, a silver knife to draw blood, and a basin where a vampire bat (for blood lust) and a wolf pelt (for animalistic man-hunting ferocity) are sacrificed in a fire.  The Warlock summons a demon at midnight and then commits suicide with the knife to allow the demon to enter them.  They must then be buried in a coffin to arise the next night as a Vampire Lord.

Banes and Habits: Vampire Lords cannot be hurt by normal weapons, but magic and silver weapons do full damage.  Vampire Lords are afraid of fire, but will only harm them for 1 rd, after which they regenerate it immediately, even from below 0.  Vampire Lords are heliophobic, but do not disintegrate in sunlight.  If out in the sun, all of their ability stats go to 0, and they lose their spellcasting and special mental abilities.  An Exorcism will kill the Vampire Lord and host, but they must be in a state of torpor for the ceremony.  They cannot enter Consecrated or Hallowed areas.

Vampire Lords are an eccentric, individualistic lot.  Their odd habits and routines are their own.  If anything is common, they are generally very old and tend to keep to the shadows, never casually revealing their true power.  Dealings with the outside world are carried out by Thralls and Vampires of their Clan.  Almost needless to say, Vampire Lords do not get along with each other at all, far too much ego involved.  There may be proxy wars over turf between their Clans, though peaceful, but tense, relationships are a possibility.  Sired Vampires are not above changing sides against their Lord in a conflict if necessary for survival.

  

Final Destruction: Death by magic, silver weapons, or exorcism will kill them.

Ancient Ones: There are tales of the eldest Vampires, perhaps the original ones, lurking in the deepest of shadows.  These creatures may be truly immortal.  While they can be nourished by human blood, they require regular feedings of the blood of supernatural creatures, such as Werewolves and Vampires.  It has even been suggested that these creatures are allowed to propagate only to provide feeding stock for the Elders.

Vampire Lord Spells

Spellcheck: +8, Save Against: DC 16, 3 cumulative failures in a turn/encounter.

Vampire Lords are very intelligent (Int +4), but that doesn’t always translate to being a good spellcaster.  Being overly ambitious and insufficiently cautious is a bad combination for a Wizard, messing with supernatural things that only end badly for them.  Vampire Lords may actually only have a fairly thin spellbook and may have been alive long enough to have forgotten many of their spells.  Their addiction to blood and their potent abilities often cause their spellcasting skills to lapse.  They would use spells to enhance their Vampiric abilities.   

1ST-LEVEL WIZARD SPELLS (DC 13 to cast)

Cause Fear: One creature of 5 HD or less flees for 1d4 rounds. (Will Sv)

Charm Person: Makes one person your friend. 8 turns. (Will Sv)

Expeditious Retreat: Your speed increases by 30 ft. 8 turns.

Shocking Grasp: 12 electrical damage + Stun 1 rd. (Ref Sv all damage) Close range.

Sleep: Puts 4 HD of creatures into magical slumber, 1 turn. (Fort Sv)

Vampiric Speak with Animals: Vampire Lords can communicate with rats, bats, and wolves, who are used as spies. 

2ND-LEVEL WIZARD SPELLS (DC 14 to cast)

Blindness/Deafness: Makes subject magically blinded or deafened. Encounter. (Will Sv)

Blur: Successful attacks miss subject 25% of the time.  Encounter. Disrupted by a successful hit.

Fog Cloud: Fog obscures vision.  Fills immediate area. 0 Bonuses to Melee or Ranged attack.

Spider Climb: Grants ability to walk on walls and ceilings. 8 turns.

Vampiric Summon Swarm: Summons swarm of bats and rats.  No damage, but causes a constant distraction until warded off, 1 rd.

3RD-LEVEL WIZARD SPELLS (DC 15 to cast)

Clairaudience/Clairvoyance: Hear or see at a distance for 1 turn.  Line of sight, through 1 wall.

Dispel Magic: Cancels magical spells and effects. Roll a normal Spellcheck to cast, then also compare that to DC 11 + ½ the original caster’s level.  Both must be successful to dispel the magic.  If the just the Spellcheck is successful, it doesn't count as a spell failure (Caster Check)

Fly: Subject flies at speed of 60 ft./rd, 8 turns. Disrupted by any hit.

Gaseous Form: Subject becomes insubstantial and can fly slowly. 10 turns.

Lightning Bolt: 14 electrical damage + Stun 1 rd + Knocked Down. (Ref Sv ½ damage) Medium range.

Vampiric Summon Wolf Pack: Summons an angry pack of 6 wolves to defend the Vampire Lord. 

4TH-LEVEL WIZARD SPELLS (DC 16 to cast)

Charm Monster: Makes monster believe it is your ally.  Encounter/turn. (Will Sv)

Control Weather: Changes weather in local area. 8 days.

Invisibility, Greater: As Invisibility, but subject can attack and stay invisible. 0 Bonuses to hit by melee or ranged, +4 Saving Throws vs spells, disrupted by any hit.  Encounter.

Vampiric Shapechange: May take the form of a Bat or a Wolf, taking on those stats.  Lasts for 1 turn/encounter.  Requires 1 rd to shift form.  Usually used to spy, getaway, or to hide themselves.  Being killed in this form, reverts them to their Vampire form (less lost hp), though they wouldn’t want to fight as an animal. 

Wolf

HD 2+4, Hp 13, AC 14* (Still requires magic or silver to hit)

Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +1

Melee: Bite +3 to hit, 1d6+1

Bat

HD 1/4, Hp 1, AC 16* (Still requires magic or silver to hit)

Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +2

No attacks

Blindsense, radar vision

[But. . . But. . . What about wooden stakes to the heart and mirrors and turning to gas and all the other crap?  Forget it.  Or don’t.  Vampire Lords should be fairly individual creatures, so you can put in various banes and extra powers to your liking, even make up some new ones.  (Certainly Vampire mythology is random enough to allow that.)    Their Clan Bloodline would share those characteristics.  If a Lord has been around long enough, their foibles are probably well known in the communities they’ve haunted.  However, I feel these kind of hooky things detract more from their personalities than add to them, and Vampires should have personality more than anything else.]