I was all but assassinated in my bed, wounded here," she touched her breast, "and never was the same since."

"Were you near dying?"

"Yes, very - a cruel love - strange love, that would have taken my life. Love will have its sacrifices. No sacrifice without blood."

-J. Sheridan Le Fanu, Carmilla

Of all the monsters Van Richten faced, vampires bore the brunt of his hatred. It was a vampire that stole the lives of his wife and child and thereby changed his life forever. Unfortunately, Van Richten is far from the only man to suffer from the activities of these nocturnal predators. As unliving avatars of greed and gluttony, vampires sow misery wherever they lair. Those who seek to rid the night of these monsters do a great service to all but should be advised that they are quite fearsome, and only grow more so with time.

Feeding

Vampires are unlike most undead creatures in that they must feed. For most of the undead, all biological processes have ended, including the need for food, but vampires aren't so fortunate. Others must suffer for this misfortune, for vampires take their sustenance from living creatures, most often in the form of blood.

A vampire must feed daily to remain in perfect "health". Without it, they begin to starve. A vampire who goes too long without feeding becomes a feral predator incapable of anything but the pursuit of sustenance.

Although vampires prefer to feed on living humanoids, they can ingest blood from other sources, such as animals or fresh corpses. This isn't as nourishing, however.

Varieties of vampires exist that gain no sustenance from blood, but instead feed on other bodily humors, organs, or even esoteric substances like memories or willpower. These creatures are rare, however, and all vampires, regardless of type, must take sustenance of some kind from living creatures.

Sleeping

Vampires are also unusual in that they require sleep. In most cases, this isn't the restful repose of a living creature, but more closely resembles a coma.

As the sun rises, the vampire falls into unconsciousness and can't be awakened until the sun sets. Noises, lights, even attacks don't stir the creature. Obviously, this is the preferred state in which to encounter one of these monsters.

Once the sun does set, however, the vampire instantly springs to full alertness. One that awakens in the company of the unprepared may be able to attack from surprise at the DM's discretion. Because of this daylight helplessness, vampires take great care in choosing a resting place, and make certain it's defended to the fullest extent it can manage.

Aging

Vampires grow more powerful with age. This is not biological aging, of course. A vampire appears to be the same age it was at the moment of death. The longer a vampire persists in a state of undead, however, the stronger its connection with the Negative Energy Plane grows, and the more powerful it becomes. This phenomenon poses a great problem to vampire hunters, for there may be nothing about a vampire's appearance to suggest how old, and therefore how powerful, it really is. Vampires have been divided by sages into categories, though these titles are for convenience more than practicality. Vampires themselves don't recognize age-based titles and the more clever ones are careful to conceal their age from others.

Vampire Spawn

Vampire spawn are subject to the same rules on feeding and sleeping as vampires, but don't gain any other enhanced abilities. Unlike a "true" vampire, a spawn can be destroyed from lack of feeding. When this happens, it crumbles to dust.

When a vampire spawn's creator is destroyed, one of several things will happen to the spawn. Which will happen is not always predictable, as with many facets of vampirism, consequences vary from vampire to vampire.

In most cases, the vampire spawn are unchanged, except for their newfound freedom of will. The spawn usually begin a solitary, predatory existence, although some may seek out social interaction with the living or with others of their kind. Newly freed spawn have also been known to form hunting packs with their "siblings", but such groups usually fall apart due to competition and in-fighting.

Sometimes all of a slain vampire's spawn are instantly destroyed. This is most common with younger, weaker vampires. The worst of the known possibilities is that the spawn suddenly mature into full vampires themselves. Thus, destroying a vampire without first eliminating its spawn can be a risky venture, as one might suddenly find oneself facing a pack of full-strength vampires!