Editing Apparitions to Zombies (section)

===Vampire===
Another contender for title of most powerful undead in Crescent, vampires are fueled by the blood and life energy of the living.

Vampires appear just as they did in life, although their features are often hardened and feral, with the predatory look of wolves.

Like liches, they often embrace finery and decadence and may assume the guise of aristocracy. Despite their human appearance, vampires can be easily recognized, for they cast no shadows and throw no reflections in mirrors.

Vampires seem to retain the abilities they had in life, including skill with weapons or spells.  Accounts of former priests retaining their spellcasting ability are numerous; most indicate that the undead priests call upon the power of their vampire master or some other dark entity.

====Notable Vampires====
* [[Simone Delcius]]
====Reported Powers====
<blockquote>
; Fists of Doom : Though they usually prefer to avoid fights, or let their minions do the fighting, vampires forced into melee without weapons have hammered their foes with powerful blows of their fists. Such blows drain vitality from the victim, and the vampire seemingly adds that strength to its own.
; Blood Drain : A vampire can suck blood from a living victim with its fangs, rendering mortals weak of body and spirit, and seemingly gain strength from the attack.
; Children of the Night : Vampires command the lesser creatures of the world, and can call forth swarms of rats or bats, or a pack of wolves.  Such creatures serve the vampire without question or hesitation.
; Dominate : A vampire can crush an opponent’s will just by looking onto his or her eyes.
; Create Spawn : A mortal slain by a vampire’s energy drain  or blood drain abilities rises as a spawn or a full-fledged vampire, depending on the individual. In either case, the new vampire or spawn is under the command of the vampire that created it and remains enslaved until its master’s destruction. Vampires have been reported with more than one enslaved spawn.
; Alternate Form : Tales tell of vampires assuming the shape of a bat or wolf, or a cloud of gas.
; Unholy Toughness : Vampires seem to ignore most mundane weapons, but are harmed by silver and magic weapons. Cold and lightning attacks are nearly useless against vampires.
; Fast Healing : Vampires heal their wounds at an amazing rate. If damaged enough to fear destruction, some vampires have been reported to assume gaseous form and attempt to escape. 
; Spider Climb : A vampire can climb sheer surfaces as though with a ''spider climb'' spell.
; Darkness in the Soul : Vampires seem to resist the effects of clerical turning.
</blockquote>
====Vampire Weaknesses====
For all their power, vampires have a number of weaknesses.
<blockquote>
; Repelling a Vampire : Vampires cannot tolerate the strong odor of garlic and will not enter an area laced with it. Similarly, they recoil from a mirror or a strongly presented holy symbol. These things don’t harm the vampire - they merely keep it at bay.
: Vampires are also unable to cross running water, although they can be carried over it while resting in their coffins or aboard a ship.
: They are utterly unable to enter a home or other building unless invited in by someone with the authority to do so. They may freely enter public places, since these are by definition open to all.
: Vampires are bound to their coffins and the dirt of their graves, though resourceful vampires have been known to pack up their coffin and dirt from the grave in a large crate, and have it transported by trusted or dominated minions.
; Slaying a Vampire : Physical and magical attacks often incapacitate a vampire but don’t always destroy it (see the note on fast healing). However, certain attacks can slay vampires. 
: Exposing any vampire to direct sunlight disorients it quickly and then destroys it utterly if it cannot escape. Light magic is also particularly effective against vampires.
: Similarly, immersing a vampire in running water disrupts the dark energy binding the creature to unlife, and will quickly destroy it. 
: Driving a wooden stake through a vampire’s heart instantly slays the monster. However, it returns to life if the stake is removed, unless the body is destroyed. A popular tactic is to cut off the creature’s head and fill its mouth with holy wafers.
</blockquote>