Dwarf Fortress

Dwarf Fortress

Vampire Variants
Stogie 14 Jan, 2023 @ 4:12pm
Vampire Suggestions
I've always loved the idea of different "strains" of vampirism, based on different blood-sucking/scavenger animals. Here's a list I made a few years ago:

Bats:
Theme around the classic "brooding noble" vampire. Prideful creatures that prefer their victims to be young and attractive. Picky eaters who only bite the neck.

Rats:
Themed around disease and filth (which they spread). Cowardly creatures that only attack the sick and elderly. Furtive eaters who drain from the wrist.

Fleas:
Themed around hedonism and corrupt aristocracy. Cackling creatures that gather in decadent balls, where they use humans for entertainment. Wasteful eaters who drain from many shallow wounds.

Crows:
Themed around knowledge and sorrow. Insidious creatures that pray on those suffering grief and misery. Sly eaters who will mimic the eating habits of their cousins.

Jackals:
Themed around brutality and bloodshed. Viscous creatures that spread terror before striking. Messy eaters who always consume the heart.

Leeches:
The primordial vampire. Mindless, shrieking things locked away in dark places. They have no preference for who they attack, leave no bodies behind, and are never satiated. The oldest and purest form of vampirism.
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Anarch Cassius 17 Jan, 2023 @ 4:15pm 
The trouble with these is that DF vampires are mostly defined by powers. I'm not sure how much the personality traits can be influenced and the cultural values will be those of whatever civ they are.

I love this project so far though so I'm trying to find some more types/powers to add more diversity.

Alukah: Based on Jewish and other ancient Middle Eastern legends of sucubi like blood-suckers. Can fly supernaturally using hair, can transform into wolf or cat. While they are ancient and their name means leech these would correspond most to the Bat type above.

Vorvolakas or vârkolak: Based on old European lore, primarily Greece. Alternative "Disease" type to Vampyr. Bloated and reddish with blood. Possibly MISCHIEVIOUS. Spreads disease which creates more Vorvolakas even without feeding. Most like Rats or maybe Leeches.

Nosferatu: These guys are kinda weak as designed so maybe some kind of charm ability, based on ancient lore as incubi, or ability to summon swarms of rats, based on movie.

I've seen some references to North American legends of vampiric creatures that can turn to mist but I cannot find any actual names or myths.
Last edited by Anarch Cassius; 17 Jan, 2023 @ 4:37pm
If you're still looking for suggestions, I've always liked the idea of the Nightlords from the Nightlord series by Garon Whited. It's a unique take on vampires where the vampire converts into a living being during the day with slight advantages over the typical human and "dies" at night and becomes an undead creature of the night.

The abilities of a Marivel/Na'irethed/Nightlord are pretty interesting. Increased speed, senses, strength, and reflexes. The thirst for blood extends to spirit as well and the vampires eat souls with psychic tendrils as well as blood from their prey. There's quite a bit to them and there is a wiki on fandom that lists a lot of their abilities. Great book series imo if you're looking for a worldbuilding fantasy/sci-fi series. I can't praise it enough.

Hope all is well with you!
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