STAR WARS Force Vampires – Seawolf's Den

Another articles I saved from the old Star Wars mailing list. Author Unkown

A long time ago, at a time in the Old Republic when Sith were strong, the ancient evil ones experimented with powers and talents even their hidden and mysterious masters would not touch. There was a time when a certain sect of Sith philosophers and scientists sought to find a way to drain the very essence of the Force out of others, having the power for themselves. One of the first attempts brought about the talent known as ‘Block Force Ability’, a powerful talent capable of severing a Jedi’s link to the Force, but not without a price for the user. Many a ‘Force suicide’ was accidently committed during the study and development of this power. But the Sith scientists pushed onward, until one of the most learned of the Sith masters and philosophers perfected the talent of draining the Force from another. This master kept this secret to himself, waiting to try it. When he did, it changed his very being. He found himself filled with power, and also with a craving to drain more power. Soon he discovered that if he no longer had any power of his own to draw upon, that while he could still feel the Dark Side within, his own use of it had twisted his mind and perverted his use of his abilities further than even the Dark Side could stand. Soon after he realized that his own body weakened when he did not feed on others. With no power of his own to draw on, he needed, both for his own survival and his ache for power, to drain that power from others. Non-force users could satisfy his hunger, but only a force user could truely make him strong. And thus, Master Bram Dracul(yeah, I know, I know…), follower of the Sith ways, became the first Force Vampire.

Special Note: Much of this document is the work of some unnamed author. I added the neat history and feeding rules, and combined this ‘race’ with the included Force Power. The concept of CP costs for power are also new. Many of the other concepts have been changed(regeneration, sunlight, death), but many have also stayed the same(age categories). The originator of this work should be commended for a well thought out set of rules.

ATTRIBUTES AND FEEDING:

A vampire’s attributes increase with age. Common to all vampires is superhuman Strength and Dexterity. Because of keen senses, a vampire’s Perception is usually also above human norm. Knowledge and Mechanical aren’t increased that much in vampires from the outset, but as the vamp ages, these too are increased well above mortal standards. Technical isn’t affected at all. The table that follows shows the attributes for vamps based on age. Note that, because the gift is supernatural, a vampire cannot improve Strength like normal characters. The vampire can only gain Strength attribute by aging. Also note that where a modifier (+1D) is listed, the modifier is added to the base (mortal) attribute. Where an absolute is listed (5D), that die code becomes the new attribute.

Vampire Age:

	0-99	100-199	200-299	300-399	400-499	500-999	1000+
DEX:	+2D	+2D+2	+3D+1	+4D	+4D+2	+5D	+6D
KNOW:	+0D	+1D	+1D+2	+2D+1	+3D	+3D+2	+4D
MECH:	+0D +2	+1D+1	+2D	+2D+2	+3D	+3D+2
PERC:	4D	4D+2	5D+1	6D	6D+2	7D	8D
STR:	5D	5D+2	6D+1	7D	7D+2	8D	8D+2
TECH:	+0D	+0D	+0D	+0D	+0D	+0D	+0D
Move: 12	14	16	18	20	22	24
Food:	5	7	10	13	15	17	20

The numbers listed under ‘Food’ are the necessary number of Character Points that the vampire *must* drain from another source each day. If this number is not reached, the vampire suffers -1 pip from STR. The penalty remains until the vampire makes up for the deficit. However, for every day that the vampire does not drain his quota, another -1 penalty is suffered. At 0D STR, the vampire dies permanantly.

Example: Launa is a 1 year old Force Vampire. She needs to drain at least 5 character points a day. On day one she only drains 4 CPs. The next day she then suffers a -1 to her STR, leaving her at 4D+2 STR. On day 2 she drains 7 CPs. This makes up for yesterdays missed quota, bringing her back up to 5D STR, but since day 2’s quota was missed, she again suffers the -1 pip penalty. If on day 3 she drains 10 CPs, she will make up the previous day’s penalty, meet the current day’s quota, and be back at full strength. If on day 3 she drains 13 CPs, she will have still met her quota, and have gained 3 CPs extra.

Any CP’s that a FV drains *above* the quota is gained as though it was a normal CP, and can be stored or spent as a normal CP or used to fuel a FV’s special powers. Note that stored CPs can be used to help meet a days quota for food.

FV’s do *not* recieve CP’s at the end of adventures. They drain them or they do not get them at all. Force Points and Dark Side Points are awarded as normal.

If a FV does not successfully feed for 3 days in a row, they are reduced to the next lower age category(meaning lower stats, move, healing abilities, etc). However, they keep the Food Rating for their actual age. They must then drain 2x their Food Rating to be brought back up to their normal age level, in addition to feeding for the necessary amount to raise their STR back up to it’s full level. When a FV reaches 0 STR, they die. When a FV dies in this way, they do not regenerate. If a 0-99 Age FV does not feed for 6 days, they simply continue to lose STR pips as per normal untill they die.
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POWERS:

The important thing to remember about vampires is that each one is different. What may be deadly to one vampire may be little more than a candle flicker to the other. Therefore, while almost all young vampires will exhibit all the powers listed below, some may not. Also, as a vampire grows older, it has a tendency to develop unusual powers, suited to the individual. Therefore, the vampire is not limited to the powers below. Also, vampires seem to possess a weak connection to the Dark Side of the Force. This doesn’t limit their behavior to evil, however, as vampires are no longer living creatures and so do not contribute to the Force in any manner. Neither are they able to be turned to the Dark Side. In any case, a Jedi will sense one coming a mile away (figuratively).
Immortality: All vampires are immortal. There is no argument to this fact. Until destruction, any vampire will always look the same as it did the moment it died as a mortal. Destroying a vampire will be discussed later. CP Cost – Free
Brawling: A vampire in hand to hand combat may use Brawling to parry with no penalties to block any attack except from an EDGED melee weapon or energy weapon (includes lightsaber). Any blunt melee weapon or other attack can be parried by the vampire’s bare hands and feet. Also, a vampire using Brawling to fight does Str+1D+2 damage, due to their connection to the Dark Side of the Force, which causes it to drain a small portion of its opponent’s life force with every blow. The vampire can consciously control this effect and remove the damage bonus if it so desires. Note that this only happens when a vampire is brawling, and doesn’t affect melee combat. CP Cost – 1 per hit. If no extra damage is wanted, Free.

Charm: Most vampires can charm a mortal by looking into his/her eyes. This has a similar effect on the victim as the Force power Affect Mind, but only in context with the person’s reaction to the vampire. For example, a vampire cannot cause people to hallucinate with this ability, or to perceive their surroundings differently. However, the vampire could convince someone that it is a friend and that the victim should react accordingly. A vampire cannot conv ince someone to do something obviously suicidal (jumping off a cliff). He could convince the victim that a suicidal act (allowing the vamp to drink from you) is actually safe, though. As a vampire gets older, they gain the ability to charm by voice (at 400 years of age), and eventually by will (1000 years of age). Any Willpower or Knowledge roll made to resist a vampire’s charms is at a +10 difficulty for gaze charm, +15 for voice charm, and +20 for charm at will. A vampire that can charm at will must know the exact location of the victim before charming, so it can’t, for example, extend its charm behind a door to get whatever is there unless the vampire knew for a fact that someone was right behind the door. Charm is limited in range to 15 meters. CP Cost – 10

Climbing: Vampires get a +20 bonus to any Climbing/jumping skill roll when trying to climb any surface.

CP Cost – 4

Regeneration and Healing: Vampires can be injured by any weapon. However, they not benefit from normal medical healing, like medpacs and bacta, or from Force healing, like Transfer Force. In fact, use of Transfer Force on a vampire will Mortally Wound it.

Vampire Age	# Rounds	Max Levels Healed	CP Cost Per Level	Natural Regen.
0-99 yrs.	2	1	12	2 days
100-199 yrs.	2	1	10	1 day
200-299 yrs.	2	2	8	12 hours
300-399 yrs.	2	2	6	8 hours
400-499 yrs.	1	2	6	6 hours
500-999 yrs.	1	3	5	3 hours
1000+ yrs.	1	4	3	1 hour

Natural Regeneration is free, but the FV does need to rest for that amount
of time.

A vampire cannot regenerate damage from fire this way. Wounds from fire heal at the same pace as mortals’ wounds do, from the chart in the rulebook. A vamp must heal fire wounds naturally. The exception to this is a 1000 year old vampire. Those vamps can regenerate any wound.

Shapechanging: When a vampire reduced beyond the Mortally Wounded level, it can turn itself into a mist-like form. This gaseous vampire must immediately float to a place of shelter. Note that these vamps are not limited to a sanctuary, or coffins. Therefore, they could shelter anywhere. When in this form, the FV has a move of 20 and a STR of 6D for the purposes of resisting damage, although only energy based weapons can hurt the FV in mist form.

CP Cost – 15 per round

Flight: Quite simply, use of this power lets the FV fly. Their flight Move is equal to their normal Move+5. They have a flight ceiling of low orbit, and cannot move into space.

CP Cost – 7 per round

Animal Control: FV’s can have limited control over lesser-minded creatures. Through the use of this power the FV can keep animals at bay or give them simple commands. Control lasts for xD6 rounds, where x is the number of extra CPs spent. If no extra CP’s are spent, the control lasts for one round.

CP Cost – 2 per die of targets PER

WEAKNESSES:

Vampires and the Force: As I stated, vampires do not influence the Force. However, they do seem to have a small link to the Dark Side. Therefore, any Jedi powers that are made to defend against the effects of the Dark Side are useful against vampire powers. A Jedi, for example, can use Control skill to defend against a vampire’s charm gaze. Any Jedi power meant to heal damage actually has negative effects on vampires. Accelerate Another’s Healing, for example, temporarily suspends a vampire’s regenerative ability for a period of time.

Mirrors and Holy Symbols: Falsehood. Plain and simple. Vampires can see their own reflections.

Invitations into homes and other sanctified places: Falsehood. Plain and simple. A vampire can go anywhere it pleases at any time. ——————————————————————————
DESTROYING A VAMPIRE:

A Force Vampire is not all that hard to kill. A few blaster shots, a thermal detonator or two, and !poof!, no more vampire. A damage roll that puts the FV into the ‘Killed’ category will do just fine. However, they do regenerate really fast. Unless the FV is throughly vaporized(something difficult to do to anything), he is still ‘alive’ and will regenerate in the appropriate amount of time for his Age, incuring the standard penalties for not feeding during that time. If these penalties kill the FV, then so be it, he’s dead for good.

Beheading, exposure to sunlight, taunting with a religious symbol…none of this stuff will work. A beheaded FV will regenerate, it just might take a few days longer than usual.

Just so you know, ‘vaporization’ includes reducing the FV to ashes. They don’t regenerate from this sort of thing(does anyone?). But it should be encouraged to scattered the ashes around on many different planets anyway. (Read as “Encourage the PC’s paranoia.”)

Sunlight: “Contrary to popular belief, the vampire, like any other night creature, can move about by day. But it is not his natural time, and his powers are weak.” -Bram Stoker’s Dracula

What this means is while in *sunlight* the FV is at -1D to all actions. Artificial light does not hamper the FV in anyway, likewise if the day is overcast or if the FV is underground they will suffer no penalties. However, under certain circumstances, if the natural light is bright enough or strange enough in nature, it can cause up to -3D to all actions.

FEEDING AND THE FORCE:
Updated Force Power

(Orig. idea and concept by Jens-Arthur Leirbakk)

Drain Life

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Control Non-Sentient Easy

Human Difficult

Near-Human Very Difficult

Alien Heroic

Force-Sensitive +10

Non-Carbon Based +10

Sense Non-Sentient, Willing Very Easy

Non-Sentient, Unwilling Easy

Willing Victim Easy(8-10)

Unwilling Victim Difficult(18-20)

Alter Special – See below

This is the specific pervesion of the Dark Side of the Force that allows the Force Vampire to feed itself with the life force it needs as well as gather up energy for future use.

The user of this power gains a Dark Side point. This power will drain the life from any organic based living form, or the life from any sentient being, whether carbon-based or not. Only very alien races might be immune to this power (GM’s decision). Droids are very surely immune to this power.

The range of this power is touch, with a twist. The FV *must* be in contact with the victim’s blood. Typical means of doing this are through biting, or making a wound with a knife and then touching the wound. Non-human FV’s with natural claws tend to use their claws for this purpose.

To use this power, the FV must first have hold of a victim, usually through Brawling or using a stun beam(unless of course the victim is willing). Because of the unique range of the power, it *cannot* be done on a single punch, even if there is physical contact with the victim’s blood. Use of the power requires at least one round, but other actions can be done at the same time(at the appropriate die penalty) to a maximum of 3 total actions(2, with the the third being Drain Life). No movement or dogde actions may be taken during the same round, but parries can be made.

Once the victim has been secured, the FV begins to call up the power. If the Control and Sense difficulties are made, the FV then rolls his Alter against the victim’s STR+KNO, or against a Jedi’s Alter. If the Alter roll fails, the FV was unable to overcome the victim’s life force, and cannot drain from them that round. The power may be ‘kept up’ with a Moderate Control roll, and another Alter ‘attack’ can be made each round the power is ‘kept up’, untill a successful drain has been made. Only one drain can be made on any being per day. After the first drain, any other attempts will fail.

If the Alter roll succeds, use the following table for number of points drained: Alter Succeded By: Result:
0 – 3 The FV drains a number of CPs equal to the number of dice used in the Alter roll(ie, used 8D Alter = maximum of 8 character points drained). If the victim has fewer than that number, too bad.

4 – 8 The FV has made a strong connection with the victim’s life force, and drains 2 character points per every die used in the Alter roll(ie, used 8D Alter = up to 16 character points drained). The FV may also drain 1 Force Point, which is converted into 5 character points.

9 – 12 The FV has the option of, in addition to the above result, draining a second Force Point, and draining one pip from STR or KNO for every 2 dice used in the Alter roll(ie, used 8D Alter = up to 4 pips drained). For each pip drained, the FV gains 2 character points. This pip drainage is permanant. Additionally, if the victim has Force Skills, the FV can drain 1D from a single skill, gaining 10 character points. The victim suffers from a -1D penalty to the drained Skill for 4D6 hours.

13 – 15 With a result of this, the victim is mostly at the full mercy of the FV. In addition to the above result, the FV may drain up to 1D6 Force Points(in addition to the 2 that may already be drained), and can now drain 1 pip of the victim’s STR or KNO per dice used in the Alter roll(ie, used 8D Alter = up to 8 pips drained). As usual, this is a permanant result, and the FV gains 5 character points per pip. The FV can also drain 1D from Force Skills per every 2 dice used in the Alter roll(ie, used 8D Alter = up to 4D Force Skills drained). For every dice drained in this manner, the victim suffers a penalty to his drained Skill(or Skills) equal to the number of dice drained for 1D6 days. The FV gains 15 character points per die drained.

16+ The FV has completely drained the life force from the victim. All character points and Force Points are drained for the normal results. The victim’s STR and KNO are drained to 0, as well as any Force Skills, and the FV gains the appropriate amount of character points. The victim is now dead. If this result is reached, the FV has no choice but to kill the victim.

On the above table, consider the term ‘Force Point’ as interchangable with Force Points and Dark Side Points. Each are worth the same amount in terms of character points, but the FV does not have a choice to which they drain. Force Points will *always* be drained first, and then Dark Side Points.

When draining a non-sentient(for instance, a Dewback) consider it to have 1D6 character points, 0 Force Points and 0 Dark Side Points, unless otherwise stated.

As far as the rest of the Force goes, Force Vampires are able to use the Force, and are Force-Sensitive. All FV’s automatically know the following powers: Drain Life, Rage*, Life Detection, Life Sense, and Sense Force. However, if the FV was a Force user in life, they still retain the knowledge of the Force Powers they had known.

In order to learn new powers, the FV must find a teacher(usually another FV) and spend 10 character points per power they wish to learn, using standard Jedi training times.

If they wish to learn powers on their own, the FV can spend 25 character points and learn powers subject to GM approval.

*While using Emptiness, Hibernation Trance or Rage, the FV does not need to feed during that period of time, but will need to feed 1 extra character point per day in the trance for an equal number of days to those spent in the trance when he awakens. For example, if Launa, an Age 1 FV, went into Rage for 20 days, she would need to feed for a total of 6 character points for the next 20 days.

When using the Force, the FV must spend character points equal to the number of dice they wish to roll + a character point per Force Skill needed.

For Example: Launa wishes to use Drain Life on someone, and wants 8D. She would need to spend 11 character points – 8 for the 8D of Skills, and 3 because Drain Life requires all 3 Skills, Control, Sense and Alter. Then Launa rolls 8D for Control, 8D for Sense, and 8D for Alter. If in the next segment she needs to use Absorb/Dissipate Energy(assuming she know’s it) and wants to roll 5D, she needs to spend 6 character points – 5 for the 5D, and 1 because A/D only requires one Skill, Control. ——————————————————————————
SLEEP:

Most vamps sleep during the day, but can sleep at any time. Some vampires who have befriended mortals sleep at night and accept their weakness by day just to travel with their human companions. These are the same vamps who keep live rodents in the kitchen pantry.

MAKING NEW VAMPIRES:

The only way to make a new Force Vampire is to drain a being into the Killed category(16+) using the Drain Life power. Immediately thereafter, the FV must then spend 50 character points to ‘instil’ a part of themselves in the new FV. This new Force Vampire will rise at Age 0 with 15 character points and 1 Dark Side Point in the next 1D6 days. The ‘father’ FV may speed up this process by spending 2 character points per day, or 15 points for an immediate revival. The ‘father’ FV may also pass on some of his experience to the ‘child’ FV. The ‘father’ FV can spend extra character points to grant the ‘child’ FV extra starting character points, on a ratio of 1-to-1. In the same manner, the ‘father’ FV can pass on some of his age abilities, and age his ‘child’ one year per extra character point. The ‘child’ cannot be aged past the age of the ‘father’.