Foreword
It is my sincere wish that any soul who comes into possession of this booklet may employ the dearly-bought wisdom herein to strike at the heart of monstrous villainy wherever it arises. Make no mistake: it is a bloody business, and not for the faint of heart. Often, it is those of us familiar with tragedy who can best pierce the darkness. We hunt monsters so the innocent don’t have to.
Rudolph Van Richten
Preface: Background of Vampirism
In almost every culture, in almost every world, tales of vampirism exist to strike fear in both small children and grown adults. These tales are generally considered folklore by sensible people, and indeed it seems that the existence of the living dead is both implausible and impossible. Why then, do cultures so separated by distance and time that they have not even the smallest commonality, share nearly identical tales of supernatural creatures that drink the blood of the living?
How did vampirism get its start? If new vampires are spawned by other vampires, as virtually all tales would have us believe, how then was the first vampire created? These questions have plagued sages as long as the undead monsters themselves have plagued mankind. Perhaps the answer lies in Barovia.
Many stories have been allowed to escape that cursed land and the borders of mist that surround it. Perhaps by design or pure coincidence, but how they disseminate are of little consequence. Very few facts are known about the Lord of Barovia, but the one truth that rings out amongst the rabble is this; Strahd Von Zarovich is a monster. A vampire so ancient and shrouded in mystery that perhaps the key to any vampiric origin can be found there.
Chapter 1: Vampiric Powers
Great is the power of the vampire. These undisputed masters of the undead have an abundance of powers from which to choose, giving them an advantage in nearly every combat and non combat situation. These monsters enjoy significant benefits in nearly every aspect of their being. Their senses, strength, reasoning, and intelligence are all far beyond human norms. In fact, if not For their special vulnerabilities (which I will discuss later), vampires would be nearly unstoppable.
All vampires enjoy certain abilities which, if they were possessed by a mortal, would certainly be ascribed to the realm of magic, To a vampire, however, such faculties are quite innate. Some of the powers, indeed, appear to be the result of casting spells, yet others render the creature "superhuman" so to speak. Most of these innate powers can't be confirmed and seem to even vary from vampire to vampire.
Nearly all facilities of a vampire's body and mind are increased. Vampires gain great benefits from their monstrous strength, including both the ability to break through an opponent's guard and to deliver massive damage when a blow strikes home. In addition to an advantage in their speed of movement, vampires enjoy an increase in their dexterity and speed of reaction as well. As a vampire grows older its intelligence, too, is enhanced. These creatures are extremely cunning, their actions calculated. Vampires have a keen power of reason and they will frequently achieve their goals through cunning alone, never having to rely on crude force.
Chapter 2: Creating New Vampires
According to most related tales, a vampire can create another simply by killing a mortal either with its life-energy draining power or by exhausting the mortal of his or her blood supply. If the victim's body is not properly destroyed, it arises as a vampire, under the control of the creature who killed it, on the second night following the burial. As an aside, I pose the question: What exactly does it mean when the victim "arises” as a vampire'? When the sun sinks fully below the horizon on the second night after the burial, the victim in the grave "awakens." The occupant of the grave is now a vampire spawn with all the characteristics, powers, and weaknesses which accompany that condition. Most vampires remember the instant of their death and the nature of their killer, and immediately understand their new nature. Certainly their new hunger gives them a good idea of what they have become.
Chapter 3: Vampire Weakness
My discussion of those few salient abilities that are a hindrance to the vampire seems a natural bridge to the subject at hand: that of their general weaknesses. Do not take too much heart from this chapter! Vampires are among the most powerful of the undead, possessing great strength and numerous seeming magical abilities. Coupled with this is their inhuman tenacity and their undying hunger. Taking all into account, vampires should surely be masters of all they survey, destroying civilization and life as they see fit.
It is very fortunate for humanity that vampires have a number of weaknesses that can be exploited. Again those who would hunt vampires should be cautioned. These creatures are of great might and terrible cunning. To confront one is literally to stare death in the face. Not only must the hunter overcome the monsters' strengths, but also must he master his own weaknesses; almost surely the vampire will discover and capitalize upon them.
Some of the most common vampiric vulnerabilities are holy symbols, blessed accouterments, sanctified places, mirrors, garlic, a wooden stake through the heart, and running water. One thing that the potential vampire hunter should remember is that not all vampires are affected by the same things.
There are certain structures and locales that can strongly influence or prohibit vampires. These structures and locales can best be described as sanctified places. As a general rule, these locations are rare. These locations are said to have had an act of a Saintly figure performing a great or memorable feat of righteousness at a specific location. These types of "hallowed grounds" repel any undead creature, not just vampires.
Homes, that is, houses or other spaces where individuals or families have their permanent residence, enforce their own restrictions on a vampire. Homes are not actually sanctified places (except in the most unusual of cases) and so give priests or laypersons no benefits when turning or holding at bay vampires and other undead, They do, however, give those within a unique protection against vampires. In short, a vampire is completely unable to enter a home unless invited by a resident; the creature is simply unable to physically enter the residence. There are a few important notes that apply. First of all, to qualify as a "resident" of a home, a person must have been invited to live there indefinitely. A guest of the owner does not qualify as a resident, Second, the invitation must be overt, stated in words. An implied invitation, such as an open door, is not sufficient. A single invitation to enter a home will allow the vampire to enter that home but once, immediately after the invitation is extended.
Chapter 4: Destroying a Vampire
For this discussion and the following paragraphs, the word "sunlight” refers to the direct rays of the sun or such rays reflected by a mirror. Sunlight generated by spells and the like are just as lethal.
Most vampires can be destroyed by exposure to sunlight, and even momentary exposures can be enough to cause severe harm. These creatures hate the sunlight with a passion that mortals can't begin to understand. If a vampire is up and about in the daylight hours, then it will always take great pains to shade itself from the sun. With very few exceptions, vampires will never willingly pass into the sunlight. If this means that they must fight a battle to the death, allow a mortal enemy to escape, or make any other such sacrifices, so be it.
A vampire could stand in a room with sunlight streaming through the window and remain totally unharmed so long as it did not step into a sunbeam, it is important to here relate the nature of reflected sunlight that harms vampires.
It cannot be stressed too often: most vampires hate sunlight.
Chapter 5: Life-Blood: Feeding Habits
For obvious reasons, the aspect of vampirism most important to mortals is that of their feeding habits, Vampires must gain sustenance by feeding upon the living, if they do not do this they suffer terribly and will eventually die.
Vampires prefer to drink blood directly from the living body of a victim, preferably one of their former race. The most efficient method of doing this is to use their prominent eye teeth to open a wound in a major blood vessel of their victim. In humans the major vessels are closest to the surface in the throat. Because the neck is also one of the least protected parts of the body (even when the victim wears armor) this adds to the desirability of this target area. Sometimes vampires will choose another major blood vessel such as the femoral artery on the inside of the thigh near the groin.
The teeth of a vampire are identical in structure to normal human teeth, albeit somewhat enlarged. My observation is that the vampire simply uses its teeth as implements to open a wound in the victims. It then sucks or laps up the blood using lip and tongue. Much as a babe drinks its mother’s milk.
In the vast majority of cases a vampire will open only a small wound that will quickly heal, through which it can drain only a small amount of blood, "Small" is a relative term here; the debilitative effect is related to the robustness of the victim—while a battle-hardened warrior might shrug off a single feeding with no ill effects, the same blood loss might kill a weaker victim through shock.
When a vampire feeds, its body shows various physical signs. Its skin, normally cool and pale skin becomes warmer and takes on a healthy, almost ruddy tinge. In addition, the creature's levels of energy and activity seem higher.
In contrast, when a vampire has gone without feeding for a period of time, the reverse effects occur. Its skin becomes colder and paler, sometimes inhumanly so, The creature also becomes more sluggish. (Do not misunderstand this: the monster is still capable of incredible feats of exertion when necessary The "sluggishness" relates more to its preferred level of activity than to its capabilities, A sluggish vampire is very much like a sluggish shark: to consider either of them to be weak is a dangerous error.) These symptoms become even more pronounced if the creature has been unable to feed sufficiently.
