I don't even know why I have to write this. TSR put out the
perfectly good Van Richten's Guide to Vampires at least 6 years ago,
but here I am, writing it after going to a nice little convention and sitting
in on a few Ravenloft games.
O.K., I know a lot of people like Ann Rice's Lestat books, and hey,
I thought they breathed a little life back into Gothic (there's an oxymoron,
I almost typed Vampires), but we have to remember, Ravenloft and AD&D
vampries are nothing like the suave Lestat or the snivelling Louis, they
are in a class by themselves. Strahd would bust Louis up, and Lestat
would find himself imprisoned in a domain so fast it would make his fangs
burn.
Another common Ravenloft vampire seems to be a vampire that managed
to flee the carnage at the Titty Twister bar and brothel after Seth Gecko
leveled the place in From Dusk Till Dawn. I like that movie,
but those vampires are not Goth, let's be serious. I mean, eeeww.....
We'll start with the sane vampires, and if I inadvertantly repeat some
of Van Richten's excellent work, then please excuse me....
First, let's talk about the clothes.... Like the Genie told
Alladin in the Walt Disney movie: "That fez and vest combination is so 3rd
century...." Or rather: "That cape and medallion combination has got
to go, it's so Bram Stoker." There is no Vampire Union Dress Code,
no Universal Code of Vampire Habadashary. But one things these immortal
predators will do is dress in finery if it is appropriate. They will
not dress in rags and grave shrouds, holding tight to thier dignity.
They avoid outlandish dresh that will make them stick out in a possible witnesses
mind, because contrary to popular beliefe, vampires are not created in full
dress attire, they too must make, buy or steal their clothing. Even
having a servant buy your clothing can lead trails if the clothing is flashy
our outlandish.
No vampire will wear finery to the bowery to suck dry some wino.
Number one, those outfits are expensive, and who wants some lowborn mortal
lout to accidently vomit or throw a chamber pot full of diareaha on your fine
clothes. Better to wear the clothes stolen from the longshoreman's home,
after all, who notices one more dockworker there? The inverse is true
also. It's a bit difficult to get into Count Flatulence's party to
drain the delectable Lady Gooseneck if you are dressed and look like a wino
who was the victim of a particularly brutal beating. Always dress appropriate
to put your victim at ease.
Let's talk about attittude: Arrogant? Yes. Domineering?
Naturally. Predatory? Of course. Stupid? Not a chance.
Not if it's older than a decade. Other vampires will sometimes destroy
the stupider ones before they get the entire countryside in a hysterical
vampire hunt. Speak according to what your victim expects, avoid strange
accents and phrases, if dressed like a bum, speak like a bum, if dressed
like a courtier, be distant and concieted like a courtier. Always remember
that some fool will eventually stab a chunk of wood into you, or you might
fall on a picket fence or get nailed by a falling tree. Chance and
arrogance is at the core of every vampires fall. Plan at least six
steps in front of your victim/foe, but always remember that the idiot might
do something you thought no one in thier right mind would do. Never
assume that everything is under control, because that's when some mayfly
rams a chunk of firewood through your chest, hacks off your head will a dull
chunk of iron, stuffs you mouth full of garlic, and buries you. Know
your powers extensively. They increase throught time and use, so remember
them, but never, ever rely tottally on them, sometimes they may fail.
Now let's talk about planning. No intellegent vampire bares
their fangs and leaps. That's a good way to get tossed in a river.
Plan carefully, observe everything, pick your battlefield, and above all,
know your foes. Any detail can help, and a missed detail can end up
killing you. Plan ahead, you have decades, centuries to unfold your
plan. If you have a particularly persistant persecuter, then simply
escape him, go to somewhere inaccessable and hibernate until he's dead.
Or arrange to have him committed as a lunatic.