Vampire Retainer (3.5e Creature)
"Right this way," the handsome butler says as he opens the tall door to a dining hall. The room is grand, but your eye is drawn inexorably to the butler. He behaves in a decidedly subdued, mundane fashion, wiping a nonexistent blemish from the mahogany table and lighting the candles with a tindertwig. This clashes with the dead pallor of his skin, the blood red of his eyes and the needle canines that you can glimpse whenever he gives you a kindly smile. He appears harmless, but if what you know of his kind and the scabbard hanging from his waist are anything to go by, there's danger hidden in the meek form. Still - a vampire butler. Now you've seen all.
| Male or female vampire rogue 5 and assassin 3 | |
| LE Medium undead (augmented humanoid) | |
| Init/Senses | +10/Listen +23, Spot +23 |
| Languages | Common |
| AC | 28, touch 16, flat-footed 22; +1 dodge from Dodge (+6 Dex, +6 +2 mithral chain shirt, +6 natural) |
| hp | 52 (8 HD) |
| Fort/Ref/Will | +2/+15/+6 |
| Speed | 30 ft. (6 squares) |
| Melee | +1 rapier +13 (1d6+6/18-20) and slam (1d6+5 plus energy drain) |
| Ranged | masterwork javelin +12 (1d6+5) |
| Base Atk/Grp | +5/+10 |
| Special Actions | sneak attack +5d6, death attack, spells, blood drain, energy drain |
| Spells Known | (CL 3rd): 2nd (1/day)—cat's grace, invisibility |
| Abilities | Str 20, Dex 22, Con —, Int 16, Wis 15, Cha 12 |
| SQ | trapfinding, evasion, trap sense +1, improved uncanny dodge, poison use, +1 save against poisons, children of the night, dominate, create spawn, alternate form, damage reduction 10/silver and magic, fast healing 5, gaseous form, resistance to cold and electricity 10, spider climb, +4 turn resistance |
| Feats | Alertness, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (rapier) |
| Skills | Bluff +17, Diplomacy +9, Disguise +9, Escape Artist +17, Hide +25, Jump +15, Listen +23, Sense Motive +18, Spot +23, Tumble +17, Use Rope +17 |
| Possessions | +1 rapier, +2 mithral chain shirt, 5 masterwork javelins, potion of inflict serious wounds, potion of haste |
| Death Attack (Ex) | If a vampire retainer studies its victim for 3 rounds and then makes a sneak attack with a melee weapon that successfully deals damage, the sneak attack has the additional effect of possibly either paralyzing or killing the target (vampire retainer's choice). While studying the victim, the vampire retainer can undertake other actions so long as its attention stays focused on the target and the target does not detect the vampire retainer or recognize the vampire retainer as an enemy. If the victim of such an attack fails a DC 15 Fortitude save against the kill effect, she dies. If the saving throw fails against the paralysis effect, the victim’s mind and body become enervated, rendering her helpless and unable to act for 1d6+4 rounds. If the victim’s saving throw succeeds, the attack is just a normal sneak attack. Once the vampire retainer has completed the 3 rounds of study, it must make the death attack within the next 3 rounds. If a death attack is attempted and fails (the victim makes her save) or if the vampire retainer does not launch the attack within 3 rounds of completing the study, 3 new rounds of study are required before it can attempt another death attack. |
| Poison Use (Ex) | Vampire retainers are trained in the use of poison and never risk accidentally poisoning themselves when applying poison to a blade. |
| Blood Drain (Ex) | A vampire retainer can suck blood from a living victim with its fangs by making a successful grapple check. If it pins the foe, it drains blood, dealing 1d4 points of Constitution drain each round the pin is maintained. On each such successful attack, it gains 5 temporary hit points. |
| Children of the Night (Su) | A vampire retainer commands the lesser creatures of the world and once per day can call forth 1d6+1 rat swarms or 1d4+1 bat swarms as a standard action. These creatures arrive in 2d6 rounds and serve it for up to 1 hour. Vampire retainers usually serve in locations where there are no wolves, so calling them forth is out of the question. |
| Dominate (Su) | A vampire retainer can crush an opponent’s will just by looking into his or her eyes. This is similar to a gaze attack, except that the vampire retainer must use a standard action, and those merely looking at it are not affected. Anyone the vampire retainer targets must succeed on a DC 16 Will save or fall instantly under the vampire retainer's influence as though by a dominate person spell (caster level 12th). The ability has a range of 30 feet. |
| Create Spawn (Su) | A humanoid or monstrous humanoid slain by a vampire retainer's energy drain rises as a vampire spawn 1d4 days after burial. If it instead drains the victim’s Constitution to 0 or lower, the victim returns as a spawn if it had 4 or less HD and as a vampire if it had 5 or more HD. In either case, the new vampire or spawn is under the vampire retainer's command and remains enslaved until its destruction. At any given time the vampire retainer may have enslaved spawn totaling no more than twice its own Hit Dice; any spawn it creates that would exceed this limit are created as free-willed vampires or vampire spawn. A vampire that is enslaved may create and enslave spawn of its own, so the vampire retainer can control a number of lesser vampires in this fashion. The vampire retainer may voluntarily free an enslaved spawn in order to enslave a new spawn, but once freed, a vampire or vampire spawn cannot be enslaved again. |
| Energy Drain (Su) | Living creatures hit by a vampire retainer's slam attack gain two negative levels. For each negative level bestowed, the vampire retainer gains 5 temporary hit points. It can use its energy drain ability once per round. |
| Alternate Form (Su) | A vampire retainer can assume the shape of a bat, dire bat, wolf, or dire wolf as a standard action. While in its alternate form, it loses its natural slam attack and dominate ability, but gains the natural weapons and extraordinary special attacks of its new form. It can remain in that form until it assumes another or until the next sunrise. |
| Fast Healing (Ex) | A vampire retainer heals 5 points of damage each round so long as it has at least 1 hit point. If reduced to 0 hit points in combat, it automatically assumes gaseous form and attempts to escape. The vampire retainer must reach its coffin home within 2 hours or be utterly destroyed. (He can travel up to 9 miles in 2 hours.) Any additional damage dealt to it while forced into gaseous form has no effect. Once at rest in its coffin, the vampire retainer is helpless. It regains 1 hit point after 1 hour, then is no longer helpless and resumes healing at the rate of 5 hit points per round. |
| Gaseous Form (Su) | As a standard action, a vampire retainer can assume gaseous form at will as the spell (caster level 5th), but it can remain gaseous indefinitely and has a fly speed of 20 feet with perfect maneuverability. |
| Skills | A vampire retainer has a +8 racial bonus on Bluff, Hide, Listen, Move Silently, Search, Sense Motive, and Spot checks. |
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| "I never drink... wine, but would you like some? |
Vampires are naturally charismatic, and many know the intricacies of aristocratic behavior better than almost anyone, so becoming a retainer for a powerful master is much more common among them than you'd think. A vampire who chooses to serve a master usually has a hidden agenda: they might be trying to overthrow the lord of the household, or glean secrets and lore from him. Some even spy for greater masters still. As long as one acknowledges the vampire's hatred of servitude and prepares accordingly, they can be wonderful retainers: beautiful to look at, pleasant entertainers, and deadly defenders if required.
Combat
Combat is not the main function of a vampire retainer: they excel in ballroom dancing, etiquette, serving fine food and drink, and of course intelligent conversation. Nonetheless, they are invariably trained as assassins or duelists as well - they do have a life outside servitude. A vampire retainer can serve as a mighty secondary combatant, helping a more stout warrior flank a worthy close combatant, or boost his side using his supernatural abilities. Death attacks are a vampire retainer's strongest attack, and they always study a foe beforehand if need be, oftentimes while simultaneously chatting pleasantries with them.
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