Vampires are Nasty!

[MightyCthulhu]

I'm not very familiar with REH's works, so I can't comment on Vampires in his works, but the Ones in the Core Books are incredible.

They seem to have all the traditional powers attributed to vampires in modern myth, with NONE of the weaknesses. They don't seem to need to drink blood or hide from the sun for example. Are REH's vampires really this powerful?

Also I could not find a reference to the meaning of the vampires type (undead.) Creature types in general don't seem to be discussed. Should I reference the 3.5 SRD?

 

[Anonymous]

Types aren't really important in Conan, beyond demons in some cases and abominations (Scrolls of Skelos). I left them in to make it easier for those wanting to convert other creatures but they're not required as they are in D&D.

 

[MightyCthulhu]

Types aren't really important in Conan, beyond demons in some cases and abominations (Scrolls of Skelos). I left them in to make it easier for those wanting to convert other creatures but they're not required as they are in D&D.

So becoming a vampire does not turn the creatures HD to d10 as it does in D&D for example.

 

[VincentDarlage]

I'm not very familiar with REH's works, so I can't comment on Vampires in his works, but the Ones in the Core Books are incredible.

They seem to have all the traditional powers attributed to vampires in modern myth, with NONE of the weaknesses. They don't seem to need to drink blood or hide from the sun for example. Are REH's vampires really this powerful?

They are powerful enough that Conan ran away from them (well, at least one. He ran away from Akivasha in 'The Hour of the Dragon').

 

[Bailywolf]

Just read 'Hour of the Dragon' last night with this thread in mind...

It implies much about vampires in the world of Conan without saying much. Akivasha wasn't all that affraid of Conan- great honkin knife or not- and seemed inclined to play with him like a cat. She got a taste of his blood too.

She also seemed to have a relationship with the Sons of Set (various of the abomination creatures native to Stygian temples), and some control or influence over them (or other creatures of the darkness). She could clearly operate just fine in total darkenss, never aged, and was pretty much immune to the natural conditions. She inhabited her own tomb- either from a grim sense of irony, or due to some supernatural connection to the place of her own burial.

Most telling perhaps though is what she offers Conan:

"Love me!" she whispered, her head thrown backm eyes closed and lips parted. "Give me of your blood to renew my youth and perpetuate my everlasting life! I will make you, too, immortal! I will teach you the wisdom of the ages, all the secrets that have lasted out the eons in the blackness beneath these dark temples. I will make you king of that shadowy horde which revel among the tombs of the ancients when neight veils the desert and bats flit across the moon. I am weary of priests and magicians, and captive girls dragged screaming through the portals of death. I desire a man. Love me, barbarian!"

From this, I get that Stygia has a fair population of vampires- the "shadowy horde which revel among the tombs". Further, the magician-priests of Stygia bring Akivasha (and perhaps her kin) victims... perhaps as a form of worship, but more likely in exchange for ancient and forgotten knowledge.

For kicks I may throw together a 5-level vampire Class... and base their blood drain on a Con drain and their powers on a Power Point pool. Their more tricksy vampire powers could easily just be spells they have learned.

Do vampires or werewolves (which are mentioned later by the wizard-priest) show up in any other REH Conan stories?

-B

 

[VincentDarlage]

Vampires and werewolves feature more prominently in Howard's Solomon Kane stories than in his Conan stories.

'Rogues in the House' mentions werewolves, but none are actually seen on-stage. Off the top of my head, I cannot think of any appearances of a werewolf in a Howard Conan story (there are several in the comics, and several in his non-Conan work).

 

[MightyCthulhu]

She inhabited her own tomb- either from a grim sense of irony, or due to some supernatural connection to the place of her own burial. ...
From this, I get that Stygia has a fair population of vampires- the "shadowy horde which revel among the tombs". Further, the magician-priests of Stygia bring Akivasha (and perhaps her kin) victims... perhaps as a form of worship, but more likely in exchange for ancient and forgotten knowledge.

Cool!
So it seems implied that they "may" have some kind of bond to their burial site. Do you know how they feel about things like sunlight, running water, thresholds or holy oil?

 

[Bailywolf]

She inhabited her own tomb- either from a grim sense of irony, or due to some supernatural connection to the place of her own burial. ...
From this, I get that Stygia has a fair population of vampires- the "shadowy horde which revel among the tombs". Further, the magician-priests of Stygia bring Akivasha (and perhaps her kin) victims... perhaps as a form of worship, but more likely in exchange for ancient and forgotten knowledge.

Cool!
So it seems implied that they "may" have some kind of bond to their burial site. Do you know how they feel about things like sunlight, running water, thresholds or holy oil?

There didn't seem to be anything in Akivasha's brief showing to indicate anything but an aversion to sunlight- several references are made about avoiding the light, living in darkness, and being active at night only. She pretty much offers to make Conan king of the undead too!

How much of a kickass alternate history Hyborean world would that be? Conan become a vampire, and then takes over Stygia with his vampire legion, then executes all the priests of Set and creates a religion of vampire worship, with himself as god.

I'd just give them a hefty Strength boost, fast healing & some natural armor, nocturnal senses, immunity to natural extremes, a thirst for blood, immortality, and the ability to recover Power Points by draining Constitution... perhaps a simple 1 Power Point per day to survive youthfully, 1 per week to survive as a hollow-cheeked sallow creature, and 1 per month to survive as nothing but a barely moble corpse.

Assume they learn magic spells to represent their supernatural abilities, and Corruption to represent their inhuman evil and spiritual deformity.

edit

OH! And sunlight would burn off 1 PP per minute of exposure... if reduced below zero, the vampire would crumble to dust.

-B

 

[InsomNY]

How much of a kickass alternate history Hyborean world would that be? Conan become a vampire, and then takes over Stygia with his vampire legion, then executes all the priests of Set and creates a religion of vampire worship, with himself as god.

It's been done, just not with Conan. I recall a Marvel "What If?" comic from several years back: "What If Wolverine Became Lord of the Vampires?" Most unpleasant. :twisted: