Vampire Thrall

Vampire Thrall (Heavy; CR 9)

Neutral Evil - Medium - Humanoid

Lore:	Know (Local)
17		35
Basic DC		Full DC

Initiative

15

Perception:
24	+14
Passive	Active

Ambush:

10+

on a d20

Senses:

• Standard Senses

Movement Types:

Defense

AC

27

Man Def

27

Monster Health
356	178	14
Hit Points	Bloodied	Hit Dice

Saving Throws
Fort:	+11
Refl:	+6
Will:	+6

Strong Against:

• DR 9/Common
• (Heavy Role) Immunity (partial 3): Heavies are immune to the first three conditions applied to them during an encounter. If a fourth condition is applied to a heavy, it is resolved normally. A 'condition' is defined as any non-instantaneous harmful effect applied to the monster, other than damage, but is most commonly one of the defined Status Conditions (but it doesn't have to be). Statuses related to damage (such as injured, bloodied, staggered, dying, or dead) are not 'conditions', and cannot be negated or avoided with this ability.

Weak Against:

• Neutralize Poison cancels Live to Serve (see below)

Offense

Size:	Medium
5 ft.		5 ft.
Space		Reach

To-Hit

+15

Man Off

+15

Action

1

Points

Standard Attack (Melee):

• 2x Ripping Clench +15 (3d8+9/19-20 x2)
  as ripping (physical, uncommon)
  plus Vicious Backhand (see below)

Full Attack (Melee):

• 4x Ripping Clench +15 (3d8+9/19-20 x2)
  as ripping (physical, uncommon)
  plus Vicious Backhand (see below)

Standard Attack (Ranged):

Full Attack (Ranged):

Siege Damage: Not siege capable

Statistics

43

STR

16

DEX

23

CON

13

INT

14

WIS

15

CHA

Skills:

• Bluff: 14
• Diplomacy: 17
• Knowledge (Local): 14
• Perception: 14
• Survival: 14
• All other skills: 9 (no ranks)

Languages: Common, Necril, up to 2 others depending upon campaign

Feats:

• Antagonize (EFFECT: Use Diplomacy or Intimidate to goad creatures.)
• Urban Forager (EFFECT: You may use the Survival skill to forage and track in urban locations)

Special Abilities

Vicious Backhand (Su)

Once per round, as a swift action, a Vampire Thrall may lash out with a savage backhand blow on a target within reach. This is treated as a melee touch attack at 1d20 + 19 vs. AC (always hits on a 17+ on the die). If the Thrall hits, the victim takes 3d6+5 points of bludgeoning (physical, common) damage and is Pushed up to three squares away, where they fall Prone. Creatures struck may make a Reflex save, DC 19, to avoid being knocked Prone, though they are still subject to the damage and the forced movement.

Horrible Pounce (Su)

Thralls are supernaturally strong and quick, and can move in flickering bursts of speed that have to be seen to be believed. Once per round, as a standard action, the Thrall may Slide up to three squares and, at the end of the Slide, make two Ripping Clench attacks upon an unfortunate victim within their reach. As forced movement, this does not provoke attacks of opportunity.

Droning Voice (Su; Stance)

A Vampire Thrall may begin speaking about the glories of Vampires, waxing rhapsodic over their dread undead lords and the wonders they bestow. At least, that's how the Thrall imagines it. In reality, they begin speaking in a dreadful monotone, their madness flowing out with their voices to affect all non-vampires (thralls included) within thirty feet of their square. Droning Voice is a stance, and requires a swift action to initiate and a swift action each round to maintain, and may be broken by knocking the Thrall Prone or causing it to lose any action, just like any stance. Droning Voice may be used out of combat, in which case it can be maintained for up to a minute at a time, as all stances. Droning Voice is a sonic-based effect. Non-vampires within the area of effect of Droning Voice must make a Will save against a DC 19. If they fail this save, they are Fascinated, as the bard ability. Fascinate is broken by any overtly threatening or violent action. Even worse, Vampires and other Thralls within the area of effect of Droning Voice are heartened by the declarations of the maddened thrall, and gain a +1 morale bonus to to-hit, damage, and saves, and may re-roll any save they fail while in the area of effect. The results of the re-roll must be taken, even if they are worse than the first result.

Live To Serve (Su)

When a Vampire Thrall is first reduced to zero hit points, it collapses in a heap but does not die. Instead, all the Vampire Blood in their system is suddenly consumed by their raging metabolism, healing them and driving them into a frenzy of agonized rage. From the time they are reduced to zero hit points until their next initiative count, they lay unmoving, to all appearances dead. Upon their next action, they gain a +4 bonus to-hit on all melee attacks and can now perform their Horrible Pounce ability even while prone, grappled, or entangled. In addition, they are healed up to half their full hit points (178 hit points), and all conditions they may have been suffering from are removed. Unfortunately, while under the effects of Live To Serve, they may use no feats, nor speak, their mouth being occupied with incoherent screams of agonized rage as they suffer withdrawal. (This means they can no longer use Droning Voice.) As an interesting note, if a Vampire Thrall is subjected to a successful Neutralize Poison spell (after SR and its Will save), its Live to Serve power is negated and cannot be used again until it can find its master and get some more blood. The Thrall's other powers are unaffected.

Stuporous Gaze (Su)

Once per encounter, as a swift action, a Vampire Thrall may direct their dull-eyed gaze worshipfully upon any vampire in their line of sight. That vampire is heartened by the faithful presence of its brain-fried vassal, removing any conditions it may be suffering from, and the vampire may immediately take a free standard action, usable as an interrupt.

Half-Living (Ex)

As living addicts to Undeath, Vampire Thralls suffer an unquiet, uneasy existence as Death laps against the foundation of their souls. This makes them hard to affect with many effects, and thus Vampire Thralls have Spell Resistance. In order to affect them with a spell or spell-like ability, the caster must first make a Caster Check versus the thrall's Maneuver Defense value (26). If the check is successful, the spell or spell-like ability is resolved as normal. If the caster check fails, the spell is cast, but does not affect the thrall in any way.

Reversal of Fortune (Ex; Heavy Role) Auto Upon Death

The first time in an encounter that a Heavy is reduced to zero or fewer hit points, it falls prone, apparently dead. But this is a ruse. When this occurs, the Heavy becomes immune to all damage and effects. However, it may not perform any actions (such as attacks of opportunity) until this immunity expires. At the beginning of its next turn, any conditions the Heavy is currently suffering under (such as Prone) are immediately cleared, and its hit points are set to half its normal maximum (178 hit points). Furthermore, the Heavy may immediately Slide up to 8 squares (40 feet) as a free action, after which its immunity to damage expires. As forced movement, this Slide does not provoke attacks of opportunity, but even if it did, the Heavy is immune to all damage and effects until after the slide is completed. It must perform this Slide before any other actions during its turn, and the immunity expires at the beginning of its turn even if it chooses not to Slide first. The Heavy is killed for good the second time its hit points are reduced to zero or less.

Vampire Thrall

This creature possesses the Heavy role, and therefore counts as 2 monsters for purposes of encounter size, XP award, and treasure.

Vampires are one of the great nations of Undeath. Vampires are Emptied Undead, meaning they have been cored out of life. Unlike most of the Emptied, they do not noticeably decay, although during battle their disgusting nature is amply evident in the mess they leave behind. Vampires are the greatest representatives of the Corrupting Undead, those undead who seek the preservation and continuation of life, so that they may corrupt it into ever more Undeath. As a result, the motivations of Vampires are more complex than the Destroying Undead or the Eaters.

Vampires like people. They like the trappings of civilization, they like the happy whirl of social life, they enjoy the company of others, both undead and living alike. Vampires want to make more Vampires, it is an erotic part of their existence that they would be greatly diminished by losing.

Vampires get along well with most other Undead, even though relations often involve the Vampires using their domination abilities or simply persuading the other Undead to be patient. It is not unusual for Vampires to be encountered with powerful Skeletons, Wights, Death Knights, Liches, and other mighty Undead, even including the Lost Ones, who make terrifying allies indeed.

On top of this, Vampires are unique among Undeath in that they create living allies, their Vampiric Thralls. The existence of Vampiric Thralls makes finding a Vampire nest immeasurably more difficult, because Vampire Thralls are alive. Thralls are mortals who admire and envy the Vampires for their abilities, and whom the Vampires have fed their blood to. Vampire Blood can create new Vampires, or, in lesser doses, a living human becomes addicted to it, as if it were strong drink, or some horrifyingly strong opiate.

Vampire thralls are the first rank of Vampire culture, the eternally obedient and awfully empowered servants whom the Vampires use to interact with the daytime world. Their regular small doses of vampire blood keep thralls in a constant state of ecstatic empowerment, nearly immune to pain and injury, utterly and fanatically loyal to their dark masters, and nearly impossible to put down cleanly.

Most thralls are willing, but not all. It is not unheard of for Vampires to punish their living foes by attacking their loved ones, and in especially cruel cases, turning them into thralls.

Such a fate is to be avoided. Vampires must be rooted out everywhere they are discovered, without pause or hesitation.

Combat Tactics

Vampire Thralls are the ultimate faithful groupies, completely besotted by the 'glories' of their undead masters and willing to do anything, anything at all, to please the monsters they are in service too. Most thralls chose this life willingly, but by no means all. Vampire Blood is a horrifying thing, a dark elixir that breeds mind-boggling glories of pleasure and terrible agonies if it is withheld.

Thralls are unfortunately well-equipped to serve as lackeys to their monstrous masters. They are nearly un-killable, supernaturally strong and fast, and their besotted minds fester with madness and cravings that they can use to infuse their voices with powerful effects.

In combat, a Thrall will first attack, using Vicious Backhand upon a foe and then Horrible Pounce to close and attack their now-Prone foe. If the combat begins at range, a Vampire Thrall will close the distance, hands empty and looking like they wish to surrender or beg for rescue, and will then initiate a Droning Voice in order to Fascinate as many foes as possible and allow them and their Masters time to get into melee range.

Once in combat, one Thrall will usually be using Droning Voice to praise the Masters, granting a buff to all vampires and thralls in range, while the rest will use Vicious Backhand and Horrible Pounce. Thralls are not savvy combatants, but they hardly need to be: Vicious Backhand combined with Horrible Pounce is brutally effective.

If any Vampire takes damage, the closest Thrall will use their Action Point to make an Antagonize roll against the attacker or biggest threat, to draw attacks away from the Master. If more than one Vampire and Thrall is present, they will make Antagonize rolls against as many targets as they can.

Vampire Thralls will sacrifice themselves without hesitation, take hostages, threaten innocents, set fires, and generally do anything at all to protect the precious existence of their masters. Just because they are alive and started out as human does not make them any less a monster.

Out of Combat

Vampire Thralls look exactly like the humans they once were, at least, until the battle damage starts to mount up. Once their terrible 'Live To Serve' power has activated a few times, if they survive, thralls begin to look positively horrific, terrible scars and disfigurements being common. Mounting battle damage is a constant reason for Vampires to be looking for new Thralls.

Thralls have the Urban Forager feat to emulate their uncanny ability to live and thrive despite the utter neglect of their undead patrons. Thralls can and do live with no homes, no jobs, no money, and no hope, only their addled devotion to their Masters. That said, Thralls can 'clean up' and pass for normal with appalling ease, and frequently do so.

Thralls in service to an established nest of Vampires will go out during the day, scouting likely victims for their Masters, keeping an eye out for the Watch, holy warriors, doppelgangers, and especially heroic adventurers. At night, the Thralls report to their Masters and venture forth with them, in eager service to their dreadful hunts.

Thralls can be anybody, and worse, a thrall can be turned and broken by a Vampire at any time. A kindly innkeep might have been perfectly human when night fell, and a secret monster the next morning.

Thralls make excellent urban threats, when literally anyone can become a raging beast. The fear and paranoia this breeds in a town can lead to many tense and exciting adventures, as the monsters are rooted out and destroyed.

A note on Strength: Thralls have a Str of 43, regardless of their size or muscle. This means a Thrall has a Light load of 3200 pounds! This Str is quite intentional: Thralls are supernatural things that look totally human: The sweet little barmaid who suddenly goes into a rage, babbling crazily about 'the masters' as she casually tears the massive locked doors out of the wall to get at you is every bit the image of the Vampire Thrall. GM's are encouraged to play up the ease with which a thrall lifts and carries things around, contrasted with their completely normal appearance.

Rewards

XP: 12,800 (Heavy role included.)

Treasure: Sellable Goods worth 10,250 gp.

Weight: 180 lbs.     Volume: 7.2 cu. ft.

Optional Treasure Rules: Roll a d20 on Table 1 below once per encounter (NOT per creature). Any items discovered are in addition to the normal treasure for the encounter.

Table 1: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 8	Nothing Found
9 - 12	1 Languid Remnant (tier 1)
13 - 15	1 Pale Remnant (tier 2)
16 - 18	1 Bright Remnant (tier 3)
19 - 20	Roll on Table 2
###	Nothing to see here!
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 2: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 3	4 Languid Remnants (tier 1)
4 - 7	4 Pale Remnants (tier 2)
8 - 11	1 Intense Remnant (tier 4)
12 - 15	1 Blazing Remnant (tier 5)
16 - 18	1 Vital Remnant (tier 6)
19 - 20	Roll on Table 3
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 3: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 3	4 Bright Remnants (tier 3)
4 - 5	4 Intense Remnants (tier 4)
6 - 8	4 Blazing Remnants (tier 5)
9 - 11	4 Vital Remnants (tier 6)
12 - 15	1 Prime Remnant (tier 7)
16 - 18	1 Mythic Remnant (tier 8)
19 - 20	1 Empyrean Remnant (tier 9)