Quote:
Originally Posted by Tywyll
Depending on your mythos, there is no reason why each vampire couldn't have different weaknesses (Night's Edge, for cyberpunk 2020 took a similar approach). Each vampire's weakness might be unique to them, or perhaps to their line, depending on where vampires came from. So somebody might get all obsessive about counting grain, while another dies from a stake in the heart.
Also, depending on the time frame (is it modern day?) then the 'power' of the vampire can be very relative. Vampires might be more than a match for any human... in melee. However, guns can be a great equalizer. Perhaps while a bullet won't kill them, collecting too many will slow them down enough to be dealt with. So you lose the superhuman effect, and force the characters to be more methodical and thoughtful about it. Perhaps really ancient ones get to the point where this is not an issue, but younger ones can be stopped by a machine pistol on full auto... or a shotgun. 
That forces players to be much more thoughtful, and not just rampage around. |
Those are some excellent points you made. I like your idea of giving each vampire a different weakness.
I was also thinking, as far as how vampires could relate to others of their kind, that they might not like others of their kind too much. This could lead to some very interesting Machiavellian-style role playing. It might be easier to use Mythic Game Master Emulator
Mythic Game Master Emulator
for this than it would be to use a real GM. Since it would allow for the players to create the story as they go along. A good map of a city or town might be useful, though.
Here's what I'm thinking: Some sessions of gaming could have the vampires converge on a town or whatever for food. But one is going to be the top vampire that gets the whole food supply. Too many vampires are going to let the population know that there are vampires about, so the vampires are going to try and pin the blame on one another, while ingratiating themselves into human society. And not letting the mortals know that they know much about vampires, or are ones themselves.
Another idea that goes along with this would be that vampires can be created accidentally, but it's rare--otherwise the world would be overpopulated by vampires. However, the originating vampire is having really crappy die rolls
thus allowing all the players to be vampires. And the characters can either band together and defeat the originating vampire before he/she kills them all, or they can all try and kill off each other with the originating vampire as a wild card. Also, if the vampires are allowed to create minions:humans that drink vampire blood and fall under the control of the vampire who's blood they drank--or simply gain the powers of the vampire and give fealty to the vampire they get the blood from. That might make for some interesting battles and other interactions.
I realise these may be best served for single gaming sessions, or for short campaigns. Maybe for longer campaigns, they can fight off wily vampires who invade their territory and all the vampires can have different weaknesses.