Welcome back to the weekly Tabletop Games thread! This thread is where we can talk about all kinds of RPGs, card games, board games, etc. Whether you gather around a physical table in the real world, or use a virtual space to play with friends who may live far away from you, this is where you can discuss your favorites, ask for and/or receive recommendations, recap your recent adventures, or even find some people to play games with!
Discussion Prompt: Since it’s spooky season, let’s talk about vampires, and more specifically how you can build a vampire PC for your favorite role-playing game. Of course the easy answer is to just play Vampire: The Masquerade, but let’s assume we’re talking about games where vampire PCs are not the norm. I think the best way to build a vampire PC is to look at the powers and abilities vampires have in pop culture, and do our best to recreate those abilities using the rules of the game. So, what features and traits to vampires have?
- Aversion to sunlight
- Need to drink blood
- Turn into bats and/or wolves
- Command over wolves, bats, rats, and other creatures
- Turn into mist
- Climb on walls and/or fly
- Ability to hypnotize or charm others
- Supernatural strength and speed
I would argue that in D&D 5e (2014), a Drow Druid character would satisfy most of that list. Drow have natural sunlight sensitivity, as well as superior darkvision, a long life-span, and no need for sleep. The Druid’s Wild Shape feature grants them the ability to become beasts, and the Druid spell list also provides spells like Primal Savagery, Charm Person, Fog Cloud, Jump, Longstrider, Beast Sense, Hold Person, Speak With Animals, Pass Without Trace, Summon Beast, Dominate Beast, Insect Plague, and many more that are easily flavored as vampiric abilities. Choosing the Circle of the Land (Underdark) subclass also gives you Spider Climb, Gaseous Form, and Greater Invisibility. A one-level dip into Fiend Warlock provides a way gain temporary hit points when dropping an enemy to zero hit points, as well as giving you access to the Command spell. Not a bad set-up for a classic vampire, if I do say so myself.
How would you build a vampire PC in D&D, or any other game?
If you would like to take over the thread in 2027, or if you’d like to suggest a prompt or contribute a write-up or discussion topic of your own, let me know in the comments!