Fang and Fury - Guidebook to Vampires.pdf

Combat
Cowardly and mean-spirited, sluagh usually stay out of sight and use
their special attacks to deal with trespassers. They defend themselves
with clubs and light crossbows but run if attacked by a superior
force.
Animate Objects (Su): Once per day, a sluagh can animate an
object within 60 feet as though by the spell animate objects from a
Vampiric Dragon
Not all dragons with dreams of eternal life turn to lichdom; some take the
path of vampirism instead. These creatures are only tangentially related to
standard vampires and vampire scions. A standard vampire cannot turn
a dragon into a vampire scion or vampire spawn, and a vampiric dragon
cannot create new scions from humanoids. Nevertheless, these two
vampiric strains share more similarities than differences.
Creating a Vampiric Dragon
“Vampiric dragon” is a template that can be applied to any evil
dragon (hereafter referred to as the “base creature”). The creature’s
type changes to “undead,” though its subtype is not affected. A
vampiric dragon uses all the base creature’s statistics and special
abilities except as noted here.
Speed: Same as the base creature. If the base creature has a swim
speed, the vampiric dragon retains the ability to swim and is
not vulnerable to immersion in running water (see below).
AC: Natural armor improves by +1 per dragon age category.
Special Attacks: A vampiric dragon retains all the special attacks of
the base creature and also gains the following special attacks.
Blood Drain (Ex): A vampiric dragon can suck blood from a
living victim that is susceptible to critical hits with a grapple
check that results in a successful pin. If it pins its foe, it drains
blood, dealing permanent Constitution drain each round the
pin is maintained, as set out in the table on the next page.
Breath Weapon (Su): The base creature’s breath weapon is
replaced by a cone of toxic gas that causes blood to erupt
from the eyes, nose, mouth, and even pores. This breath
weapon deals damage according to the dragon’s age category,
as set out in the table on the next page.
The save DC to resist this breath weapon is equal to 10 + 1/2
vampiric dragon’s HD + vampiric dragon’s Charisma modifier.
Call to the Cold Blood (Su): Vampiric dragons command lesser
cold-blooded creatures with a thought. Once per day a
vampiric dragon can call forth a single giant octopus or giant
squid (must be within 100 feet of the ocean), a clutch of 2–5
troglodytes, a swarm of 2–5 Medium vipers, or a gang of 4–9
kobolds as a standard action. These creatures arrive in 2d6
rounds and serve the vampiric dragon for up to 1 hour.
Create Spawn (Su): A dragon or magical beast slain by a vampiric
dragon’s energy drain attack rises as a vampiric thrall (see
the Vampiric Thrall entry below) 1d4 days after death.
Chapter Five: Creatures
Races of Renown: Fang & Fury
20th-level caster. This object defends the sluagh to the best of its
ability, but it doesn’t follow specific instructions.
Spell-like Abilities: At will—ghost sound; 3/day—scare. These abilities
are as the spells from a 6th-level sorcerer (save DC 11 + spell level).
Skills: Sluagh receive a +4 racial bonus on Hide and Move Silently
checks. Sluagh receive a +8 bonus on Climb checks and can always
take 10 even if rushed or threatened when climbing.
If the vampiric dragon instead drains the victim’s Constitution
to 0 or less with its blood drain attack, the slain creature
returns as a vampiric thrall if it had fewer than 10 HD or was
a magical beast, and as a new vampiric dragon if it had 10 or
more HD and was a dragon. In either case, the new undead
creature is under the command of the vampiric dragon that
created it and remains enslaved until its master’s death.
Domination (Su): A vampiric dragon can dominate a humanoid
enemy just by meeting its eyes. This ability is similar to a gaze
attack, except that the vampiric dragon must take a standard
action, and those merely looking at it are not affected. Anyone
the vampiric dragon targets must succeed at a Will save or fall
instantly under the creature’s influence as though by a dominate
person spell cast by a 12th-level sorcerer. This ability has a
range of 60 feet.
Energy Drain (Su): Living creatures hit by a Medium or larger
vampiric dragon’s claw attack gain negative levels according
to the dragon’s size, as set out in table on the next page. Each
negative level bestowed grants the vampiric dragon 5 temporary
hit points.
The save DC to remove a negative level is 10 + 1/2 vampiric
dragon’s HD + vampiric dragon’s Charisma modifier.
Frightful Presence (Ex): Since the dragon’s Charisma score
improves by +4, the save DC for its frightful presence ability
increases by +2.
Special Qualities: A vampiric dragon retains all the special qualities
of the base creature and also gains the following special
qualities.
Alternate Form (Su): A vampiric dragon can assume the shape
of a giant lizard, kobold, pseudodragon, Small viper, or troglodyte
as a standard action. This ability is similar to a polymorph
self spell cast by a 12th-level sorcerer, except that the vampiric
dragon can assume only one of the forms listed here. It can
remain in that form until it assumes another or until the next
sunrise.
Blood Gift (Ex): A vampiric dragon can feed its own blood
to another vampire (including blood puppets and vampiric
thralls) or vampiric dragon to heal it. It costs 1 hp to start the
process, and the vampiric dragon can transfer up to 1 hp per
round per level of the lowest-level vampire in the exchange, to
a maximum of 10 hp per round.
Damage Reduction (Su): A vampiric dragon has damage reduction
15/+1 or its natural damage reduction, whichever is
greater.
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