So now that I have Traveller Dracula, what do I do with him?

[gloriousbattle]

As I said on my other thread, I found the Dracula write-up. It was in Space Gamer #74, ppg 21-23.

So what do I do with him? Please don't say flush him down the toilet, because he doesn't fit into the Third Imperium. This thread is for those of us who enjoy science fantasy.

Anyway, suppose you wanted to create a Traveller campaign (Third Imperium or not) that used the Count as the major villain? How would you handle it? Some issue I thought of:

Crosses and religious icons: In many modern stories, these do not affect vampires. After all, we've all grown up and there are no gods. Huh? There are no gods but there are vampires? Or is that just what the vampires want us to think, thus making us go through life unarmed against them?

For that matter, what about the sun: let's face it, starlight is pretty common in space. How do the vampires get around this problem? Is this why they still need us, other than as a food source? Also, what if the vampires are negative energy creatures from some evil universe, the stars are actually sentient beings, the vampires came here to destroy them, and the stars created life as their defense against the vampires in a war that has lasted hundreds of billions of years and is only now coming to its final battle?

Where did the vampires come from: Did they follow us from earth, having always been with us? Are they some genetic experiment gone horribly wrong? Were we actually foolish enough to clone the dna of a long dead enemy?

What are the vampires doing: Are they basically just dungeon monsters? Hunted animals that humans try to wipe out wherever they can? Are they actually unknown, and running the Imperium from behind the scenes? Or have they finally come forth and declared themselves? Are ordinary humans just the slaves and cattle of a vampire nobility?

Do they still all have Eastern European accents and pointy fangs: Enquiring minds want to know?

 

[ShapeShifter]

As I said on my other thread, I found the Dracula write-up. It was in Space Gamer #74, ppg 21-23.

So what do I do with him? Please don't say flush him down the toilet, because he doesn't fit into the Third Imperium. This thread is for those of us who enjoy science fantasy.

Anyway, suppose you wanted to create a Traveller campaign (Third Imperium or not) that used the Count as the major villain? How would you handle it? Some issue I thought of:

Crosses and religious icons: In many modern stories, these do not affect vampires. After all, we've all grown up and there are no gods. Huh? There are no gods but there are vampires? Or is that just what the vampires want us to think, thus making us go through life unarmed against them?

For that matter, what about the sun: let's face it, starlight is pretty common in space. How do the vampires get around this problem? Is this why they still need us, other than as a food source? Also, what if the vampires are negative energy creatures from some evil universe, the stars are actually sentient beings, the vampires came here to destroy them, and the stars created life as their defense against the vampires in a war that has lasted hundreds of billions of years and is only now coming to its final battle?

Perhaps ole Drac is only affected by G2V stars like Sol.

Where did the vampires come from: Did they follow us from earth, having always been with us? Are they some genetic experiment gone horribly wrong? Were we actually foolish enough to clone the dna of a long dead enemy?

You can feature a dead "ghost ship" in which there are the desiccated remains of the former occupants now floating in freefall. Later they only turn out to be in some kind of hibernation and feed on the living visitors to the craft. I have a vague memory of the movie Life Force being based on an earlier movie about 'space vampires'. It's been so long, all I remember is Mathilda May.

What are the vampires doing: Are they basically just dungeon monsters? Hunted animals that humans try to wipe out wherever they can? Are they actually unknown, and running the Imperium from behind the scenes? Or have they finally come forth and declared themselves? Are ordinary humans just the slaves and cattle of a vampire nobility?

Do they still all have Eastern European accents and pointy fangs: Enquiring minds want to know?

I'd skip the Warsaw Pact origins of vamps. And get rid of their constant use of the word "blah".
You might also want to have lower tiers of less powerful vamps, who are minions of the BBEG--a la Buffy/Angel.

 

[gloriousbattle]

I'd skip the Warsaw Pact origins of vamps. And get rid of their constant use of the word "blah".
You might also want to have lower tiers of less powerful vamps, who are minions of the BBEG--a la Buffy/Angel.

From the oft mentioned Buck Rogers episode:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xomj8648yGk&feature=related

 

[PFVA63]

Hi

I don't know much about the Space Gamer article that you mention, butI always kind of liked the idea that vampires might be aliens from some planet orbiting a dim star that got stranded here on Earth (or whatever planet you wish).

As such they could be very sensitive to the light from out star (as Shapeshifter suggests) as well as being sensitive to microbes in our atmosphere. As such, they may need to rest/regenerate periodically in a sealed sarcouphagus/capsule which contain microbes from their own planet to help them restore themselves (ie, they must sleep in a coffin like device containing their "home soil").

If they get their regular rest and stay out of our sunlight, it could also be that there bodies are able to rapidly heal, making it that only decapitation or critical damage to their heart/main circulatory organ can kill them, and even then only if the heart is damaged by a substance that interferes with their cellular regenerative powers, such as charred oak or silver. Being aliens, they could also have some sensitivities to other items like garlic, roses, and wolfbane, etc.

To keep with the concept of vampires of Earth mythology (based on my limited knowledge) they could also be psionic, able to either cast a "wide area" deception making most people who see them think that they are human (or whatever the local species is), or they can cast a more localized psionic act in order to try and persuade/control an individual. In such a case though, the wide area deception might start breaking down resulting in people seeing them for what they really are, a large leathery winged intelligent scavenger.

Another possiblity might be that while the creature feeds primarily off of blood, especially seeking out blodd from an individual who is frightened or whose senses are in a hieghtened state, it may also be that these creatures reproduce as it were by infecting a host through biting, where the cells transferred slowly work to rewrite the hosts DNA, with psionic help from the original creature that has infected the host. This way if the vampire and the victim are in close vicinity ad the initial bite is sever enough the victim may be converted fully enough within 1 day.

However, if the bite is less severe and/or the creature and its victim end up a far distance apart, the infecton may fail and/or take more time and or require the victim to be bitten again. finally if a victim has most/all its blodd drained from the creature feeding, it is also possible that the victim will just die, as the infecting cell normally need the victims circulatury system to work in order to travel around the body and/or they draw nourishment from the victims blood, which hopelly will prevent all victims that are bitten from becoming vampires, which then go out and feed, and then their victims go out and feed, etc.

The last thought would be that because the creatures especially like blodd from frightened victims and/or victims with their senses in a heightened state, it may be possible that the creatures end up sometimes using their psionic powers to "get into their victims minds" to such an extent that it becaome a two way street, in that if the victim really truely believes that something like a religious icon or symbol will protect them, then the creature can be harmed (at least mentally) by their victim's beliefs.

As for using such creatures in Traveller, a pssible thought would be that you have a group of adventurers visit and/or maybe get straded on a low tech planet. Some mysterious deaths may occur, and with the Traveller's being outsiders they may find themselves suspected of being involved by the local populous.

Through a series of adventures they may end up uncovering that another alien (one of these vampire creatures) has also become stranded here (maybe originally as an unown sow away on heir ship), and it is up to them to uncover it, before the local villagers meet out their own misguided/fear driven justice on the Traveller group.

An alternate thought might be that the vampire creature has been stranded on the planet for an extremely long time, and is a part of local folklore, but now that the Traveller's have crashlanded/diverted to this back water area, it see their ship as a possible means of getting back home, and attempts to stalk/take over the crew, etc.

Anyway, just some random thoughts.

Regards

PF

 

[gloriousbattle]

The last thought would be that because the creatures especially like blodd from frightened victims and/or victims with their senses in a heightened state, it may be possible that the creatures end up sometimes using their psionic powers to "get into their victims minds" to such an extent that it becaome a two way street, in that if the victim really truely believes that something like a religious icon or symbol will protect them, then the creature can be harmed (at least mentally) by their victim's beliefs.

The article makes for a truly kick a** Dracula, and one with all the powers (and vulnerabilities) normally associated.

Nonetheless, do like your idea that the vampiric power might be at least partially a psionic drain as well as a blood drain. I'll have to think on that.

 

[beowulf2044]

When all else fails, use the retro-virus infection that causes a person to turn 'vampiric'. I believe there was a JTAS short adventure that came close to this with symptoms like porphyira (sp?)