As will be discussed later, the strain of immortality is frequently too great for them. Patriarchs are extremely rare, for seldom do vampires survive this long. Happily, I know of only two Patriarch Vampires in existence. In short, the older the vampire is, the more formidable a foe it becomes. The creature gains new abilities that it did not previously have and becomes increasingly less susceptible to past weaknesses. Essentially, as a vampire grows older, its power also grows. Vampires are divided into age categories. A Fledgling vampire is less adept at covering its tracks, less experienced at playing on the weaknesses of those who would pursue it. Such exceptions aside, the age-related progression of powers is perhaps the vampire hunter's greatest ally. The well-prepared vampire hunter should expect exceptions. It is best to keep this in mind and to realize that the age progression discussed later (page 13) is merely a rule of thumb and not a law of nature. It discomforts me to learn that tales of such "precocious" creatures exist, and apparently they do, although they are, thankfully, extremely rare. Personally, I hope that my belief is wrong because of the following logical consequence: if all vampires, no matter how "young", have the potential to use the greater powers, might it not be possible for an exceptional individual to come into being with a natural aptitude for some of the greater powers? The image of a one day-old vampire able to use any of the powers of a millennium-old Patriarch is horrifying to think about. To use these greater powers the vampire must practice the precision required and must build the willpower and mental fortitude needed to wield them. Presumably, the more "advanced" powers require more subtlety to control, or are more taxing on the vampire, or perhaps both. My personal belief is that all vampires are created with the potential to use all the powers available to a 1.000-year-old individual, but that actually using those powers is something that must be learned.
Some scholars believe this progression to be "an innate characteristic of vampiric nature", which of course is no answer at all. On the other end of the scale, a vampire who has existed for a millenium or more is unimaginably more powerful than a newly-created fledgling. A newly-created vampire (in the vast majority of cases) is relatively weak when compared to those that have been in existence for decades or centuries. In fact, if not for their special vulnerabilities (which I will discuss later), vampires would be nearly unstoppable.Īlthough all vampires are extremely powerful, there is a moderating effect on the abilities of vampires, and this is time. Their senses, strength, reasoning, and intelligence are all far beyond human norms. These monsters enjoy significant benefits in nearly every aspect of their being. These undisputed masters of the undead have an abundance of powers from which to choose, giving them an advantage in nearly every combat and noncombat situation. An assumption that any individual vampire has any particular power or weakness is a dangerous assumption, indeed! Many vampire hunters have died - or worse - through over-generalizing such discussions, however. The following discussions deal with the most common powers and weaknesses of vampires. The differences between individual vampires typically become more pronounced as the creatures advance in age and power: while most fledgling vampires typically show at least some similarities with each other, the differences between the aged Patriarchs are often so great as to make one suspect that they are completely different types of creatures.
What is true for one is an outright - and dangerously misleading - falsehood for another. Vampires are perhaps the most individualistic of undead. Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a "typical" vampire. Glanced off our foe's scalp with little effect, as though the weaponĬaveat: It is important to recall that the following discussions refer to what might be called the "typical" vampire. Our stout dwarven companion with his razor-sharp axe, merely Imagine our horror when the first blow, wielded by A fiend we knew him to be, but we believed him to be a fiend of
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