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Sun Feb 13, 2005 9:55 pm Vampiric Bloodlines of Oerth

Has anyone done any work on developing different vampiric bloodlines for Oerth?

I have been considering detailing different bloodlines, such that vampires "descended" from some of the more powerful and famous vampiric figures from Greyhawk's past would posses differing powers depending on whom they were descended from (and possibly varying levels of these powers based on how distant the vampire's line of descent is from his line's progenitor).

Some prime candidates for bloodline progenitors would probably be Kas, Drelnza, Ctenmiir, Belgos and Vlad Tolenkov, perhaps Arinanin (though different sources list him as both a lich and a vimpire), Marsimion, Thrommel, Tloques-popolocas, and King Zlotlatlan.

I figured that Kas and Drelnza's lines would favor martial abilities over magical ones, but Vlad and Ctenmiir would be more arcane, and Arinanin would be clerical (with divine abilities linked to Tharizdun, or a vampire god?).

In our home campaign, our DM has done things like replace the Alternate Form ability with Shadow Walk to give his vampires a totally different kind of mobility, and this is where my inspiration arises (thanks Ken!)

Any and all comments welcome.

Sun Feb 13, 2005 10:51 pm

That is an excellent topic, and perhaps you should do an article for CF about it just like you mention! The Undead of Oerth list featured here might help you, but from your post it seems you are well versed on GH's vamps. I'm impressed.

Mon Feb 14, 2005 5:55 am

Please, do not forget Maskaleyne, that two or three century old vampire from Great Kingdom now working as a lesser bonheart for Iuz :-)
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Victor Caminha

Mon Feb 14, 2005 9:06 am

Undead of Oerth

Please use it, that's what it is there for.
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Mon Feb 14, 2005 9:36 am

Yeah, I used the Undead of Oerth page here as a reference, and I was trying to decide whom the oldest, or most powerful, or interesting vampires on that list would be to become the progenitors of a bloodline... perhaps some of the others are decended from some of the more ancient ones?

Kas, Drelnza, and Ctenmiir made my short list right away... and if you consider Arinanin from the Suel Imperium to have been a vampire (the first?) then I would include him as well (perhaps he was granted the Curse of Feeding from Tharizdun through Tilorop?), though most sources I've seen recently claim he was instead the first lich.

Mon Feb 14, 2005 10:29 am

Very interesting indeed, I am surprized no one has done this before now.

I look forward to reading your submission Setanta Wink

btw don't forget Prince Ferrenan of Blacksplinter (Ivid the Undying)

Mon Feb 14, 2005 3:00 pm

Feranifer, a MIGHTILY powerful vampiress devoted to to Acererack (see Return to the Tomb of Horrors) would rank as a top-vampiress and originator of a bloodline.

Mon Feb 14, 2005 3:26 pm

Mon Feb 14, 2005 8:57 pm

Count Strahd von Zarovich came from GH in my campaign.

He lived in a small province in the slopes close to Perrenland.

Mon Feb 14, 2005 9:10 pm

Sentanta,
Would it not be more beneficial if you atarted with the First bloodline of the Vampires. Kas I guess could be but isn't Drelzna less then hundred years old. Wouldn't it make sense to have some of these high profile Vampires coming from older bloodlines. Then you could detail when these bloodlines where started and which bloodline seems to dominate certain areas.
Like Prince Thrommel belonging to the bloodline of Kas. Might be interesting. Maybe he was sired by Drelzna. However i'm sure you would want to spread the wealth a bit not to many high profile vampires belonging to the same bloodline. These are just examples,but the Vampire someone mentioned earlier being 3 centuries old could be the beginning of a bloodline. However yopu see fit. I just have one more suggestion though. A bloodline is created when one is not sired by another vampire of an existing bloodline or when the head of the current line is killed by another vampire who wishing to create a new bloodline.

Hench Drelzna kills Kas using his existing bloodline to create her own bloodline. In the case of Feranifer you could add that though a pact of some kind Feranifar became a Vampire not by normal means therefore creating a new bloodline.

Tue Feb 15, 2005 2:51 pm

Excellent thought, Setanta. Along the lines of Anne Rice's vampire novels, to an extent, with the aincent vampires being the most powerful. I'm definitely going to develop this in my campaign - probably tie it in with the White Kingdom. Perhaps they're pressing forward toward an aincent Underdark fortress where the Eldest (first?) Vampire lies in eternal slumber - and they intend to wake him! A race across the Underdark against the undead legions sounds fun, no?

Tue Feb 15, 2005 3:48 pm

Excellent ideas and suggestions everyone.

What I have planned so far is to describe the circumstances of how the progenitor of each bloodline was created... either through divine curse (like happened to Vlad Tepes in Bram Stokers Dracula... or to Judas in Dracula 2000), the Create Greater Undead spell (at least you could do this in 3.0... in 3.5 they modified this spell somewhat), or perhaps a Wish or some intricate necromantic ritual or artifact.

Kas, for example, was probably made into a vampire by Vecna himself in some necromantic ritual.

Thrommel, on the other hand, was probably created through either a divine curse from Tharizdun, or the use of Create Greater Undead by The First (see RttToEE).

I have also toyed with the concept of Greater Vampires, who would either be the progenitor of a bloodline, or within a few generations of the progenitor. These creatures would possess powers and abilities far exceeding a common vampire.

I especially like the idea presented here where certain bloodlines would be predominant in certain geographic regions... ala Vampire: The Masquerade with its clans and such.

Tue Feb 15, 2005 11:11 pm

I agree that vampiric society in GH should be explored. I recall that being discussed once in greychat too. One thing that differs from VTM and D&D though is vampires are hardly the scariest monsters on the block. For them to keep a cohesive subculture in Greyhawk, vampires would need to be free to pursue the 'vampire agenda' Thus someone like Maskelyne is obviously powerful in his city, but still in the end a cronie of Iuz and several Boneheart mortals. Liches, animuses and even death knights tend to overshadow vamps in most GH writings.

Wed Feb 16, 2005 6:57 am Missing

I just noticed that the Heptad, from the Dying of the Light adventure in Dungeon 84 does not seem to be on the Undead List.

Also, what is the creation mechanism for Vampires in GH. The Create Greater Undead spell does not list vampires as a possible outcome. Is there a single progenitor, as in VTM, or is there a ritual that makes their creation possible? The later seems more viable.

Wed Feb 16, 2005 9:48 am Re: Missing

In 3.0, you could create vampires with Create Greater Undead, but in 3.5 this was revised.

So, that leaves divine curses, possibly Wish(es), a necromantic ritual, or perhaps a bite from the demoness Noticula (Queen of Vampires, taken from the Demonomicon of Iggwilv by grodog)?

Wed Feb 16, 2005 2:59 pm

Strahd von Zarovich's Barovia was originally supposed to be found on Aquaria... Maybe that can help you.

BTW, *The Rise of the Thrommelites* could be a great sequel to some Temple - campaign, IMO.

I recall some kind of vampiric fiction concerning Blackmoor as well... Was it even on CF!?
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Mon Feb 21, 2005 2:44 pm First Submission

I just submitted the introductory article for this topic... so hopefully it will be online shortly. Now the real work begins: the details of the different bloodlines Shocked