Nosferatu daylight powerlessness

[Dominique]

My PCs are in all likelihood going to make their move against a nosferatu next session, and not being idiots, they're going to try to take her out during the day. I'm a little confused by exactly what powers fall under the "daylight powerlessness" umbrella, though. I get that they can't use active abilities like draining blood, turning into mist, summoning wolves, dominating new victims, and all that fun stuff, but what about their passive defensive abilities? Do they lose their natural AC bonus? Do they lose their cold and electricity resistance? What about damage reduction? I'm leaning toward keeping those in there because it doesn't make much sense to me that a vampire would be vulnerable to cold at all (although I might reduce them to 5 or something), but the resistances and damage reduction do count as "special qualities" and I don't want to cheat. Any thoughts?

[Rotipher of the FoS]

I'd recommend that the nosferatu's active powers (i.e. those which take an action to employ) can't be used, but those that don't need a specific action continue to work. That would include its ability bonuses and speed, as well as its various passive defenses.

This isn't anything "official", it's just a convenient way to handle it.

[Dominique]

Awesome. I was leaning toward doing that, but I needed confimation that it wouldn't be cheating. Danke!

[High Priest Mikhal]

IIRC, they don't actually lose their ability to drain blood or any benefits from such, but doing that during the day is very difficult (no domination ability) and suicidal (possible witnesses and few vampire powers to fight off meddlesome adventurers). Otherwise Rotipher is right that only those powers that need to be activated can't be used by nosferatu in daylight.

Not turning into mist...does this mean a nosferatu "killed" in full daylight is utterly destroyed? Vampires of all types turn into gaseous form once reduced to 0 HP and return to their coffins, but the nosferatu can't use their mist form in daylight so wouldn't they logically be vulnerable to final death?

[Rotipher of the FoS]

As turning into mist after they hit 0 hp doesn't actually require an action on nosferatus' part -- it's automatic, and they can't stop it from happening -- I'd rule that becoming gaseous under that specific circumstance still works. Likewise, once they get back to their coffins, reverting to humanoid form to sleep off the damage is automatic.

[High Priest Mikhal]

Okay, but they still lose their powers even when exposed to true sunlight for a moment. Plus they don't regain them until after eight hours sleep in their coffin IIRC. So would any spell/power/item that creates the equivalent of true sunlight do the same? Or am I being too literal in that interpretation?

[Jester of the FoS]

Off the top of my head I'd say they lose any Supernatural or Spell-like abilities but retain any Extraordinary abilities they posses.

[LouisVendredi]

From Denizens of Dread, p. 202:

If a nosferatu’s hit points are reduced to 0 or below, it collapses as if slain but is not truly destroyed.

Nosferatu do not turn to mist when brought to 0 hit points. They lay comatose until they are under moonlight and then start regenerating.

[High Priest Mikhal]

So daylight isn't lethal in and of itself, but they're still in serious trouble if they get caught. They lose most of their powers and if they're "killed" the hunter just has to burn the body to be done with it. No messy search for the coffin. But at night they could get right back up if you don't stake the corpse and burn it. No grace period like with other vampires.

They can also pass themselves off as living beings and even when they die they don't betray their nature. It's too easy to mistake them for something else entirely without proper research. Excuse me as I cackle with sadistic glee.