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So my PC's will soon be traveling with a Kargat Nosferatu disguised as a monk for a few days.

It's vital that they don't suspect him. I figure that the Kargat are experts at this sort of deception, so he should have some tricks up his sleeve. I made him a Nosferatu to help. (at least he won't be bursting into flames.) I just re-read the nosferatu entry in DoD, and ran into a couple of snags.

1) It would be nice if he doesn't lose his powers for the climactic battle. I can arrange for it to take place at night, but if he's exposed to "direct" sunlight, he has to rest in his coffin for 8 hours. Not gonna have time for that. What qualifies as "direct" sunlight? They will be in the mountains of Lamordia, so he's going to bundle up in winter gear. Is that enough protection? (stuff like that works for Angel and Spike...) VRG says as long as nothing shiny reflects direct sunlight, a vampire can be in a room with sunlight streaming through the window as long as he stays out of the beams. Is the reflection from snow diffuse enough if he keeps his head down?

2) Nosferatu have no shadow. This would be the sort of thing you'd notice after a few days on the road in the snow, I'd think. How would one get around this? If I give him the command undead salient ability, could he command a Shadow (the undead kind) to follow him around and mimic his movements? Or is that too complicated for a Shadow to handle with INT 6?

3) Anything else I'm missing that would make him stand out?

I think you have got it about covered.

Certainly you can rule that a shadow understands how to "shadow" a person. In fact, it might be an instinctive trick for them.
Besides, a lack of a shadow isn't as noticable as you might think. People are better equipped to perceive what is there than what isn't. Unless someone starts looking for the shadow, they probably won't notice its absence. As well, there are a number of things the vampire can do to avoid being spotted - for example, always put someone between the sun and themselves - that way the 2nd person's shadow covers up for their own lack.

As for sunlight, I think you could rule that a throughly covered nosferatu would be immune. For example, the monk might carry goggles "to reduce snow-blindness" as well as grease "for extra insulation".
Otherwize, the nosferatu might get away by wrapping him/herself in a sleepingbag coated with earth (not a good idea unless the nosferatu has his/her own tent.)

I mildly disagree. Sunlight on the vampire's clothes is the same as on its skin IMO. I understand your frustration, but vampires have weaknesses. Taking them away of them in such a fashion seems to me like cheating.
Why can't the Kargat nosferatu have a magic ring that protects it from the effects of sunlight for, say, 50 hours totally. The ring doesn't works on vampires (far more vulnerable), only on nosferatu.

That way, you bypass the vulnerability without altering the rules for all the nosferatu in the world, that could use the same tricks.

Remember, there are even flowlers (amaranth IIRC) that can stave off the effect of the shroud of Necropolis for mortals, there would be something similar for Nosferatu.

IMO, you should just make the weather really, really lousy during this entire adventure. A darkly-overcast sky with occasional downpours will eliminate the "direct" sunlight threat -- a standard vampire might still have problems, but for a nosferatu it could certainly suffice -- especially if backed up by heavy rain gear. Plus, with only diffuse light coming through the clouds, the lack of an obvious shadow won't be noticable even on snow.

Just make sure you toss in some non-vampire-related obstacles -- like climbing up a steep cliff in the pouring rain, or fighting in thick slush and mud -- that'll stop metagaming players from wondering why you've made the weather so rotten. You might also try milking the bad weather for some additional Creep-Them-Out impact, by dropping hints that some terrible weather-controling monster lurks in those mountains, or by subtly reminding them that the Mists sometimes take on the form of a driving rain in Lamordia.

I don't know if it got converted to 3rd ed but back in 2nd ed they had a fouth level spell called Mimic Mortal. For every ability the vampire sacraficed (Energy attacks, weapon immunity, gaze attack, Shape change, imunity from sleep/charm, summoning, increased stats, and movement in that order) they gained back one human like trait (rosey skin, imunity from garlic/alergins, reflection/shadow, ability to enter holy places, able to cross running water, imunity to holy water, Sunlight and turning in that order) for about one hour.

Your vampire could have a ring or other item that cast the spell during the daytime hours. But i would also, to not over do it, have him unable to turn the spell off during daylight hours so the PC can have a fair fight during those times.

I had originally planned on Mimic Mortal, rather than a Nosferatu (It's in Gaz I, BTW). But I had to come up with a reason why the vamp needed the party, and I settled on needing them to cross a stream for him. (Running water's one of my favorite little-used Vampire weaknesses) Trouble is that with the spell as written, you have to give up weaknesses in a particular order, and sunlight is last, so you'd already be able to cross running water if you got to that point. So... that's why I went with a nosferatu. They don't die to sunlight, just lose powers, but still have the running water weakness.

Poor weather is a given for what I'm planning, and yeah, it could cover the sunlight and shadow problems at once. Worth thinking about.

I see where you're coming from, alhoon, but I respectfully disagree. Vampires are smart, and would find ways to get around their weaknesses without totally nullifying them, I think. Logically speaking, I don't see how heavy clothing would offer less protection than a window shade, or ceiling. (And I know logic may not apply to mystical creatures, but I prefer when it does.)

To me, a magic ring like you suggest seems even more rule-bending. Personal preference, I suppose, but when the players find out they were fooled by special breed of vampire who took certain precautions, I think they would feel outsmarted. If they found out they were fooled by a magic ring that broke the rules, I think they'd feel cheated. Does that make sense?

IMO I always figured Vampires were affected by sunlight regardless of clothes but I like to think that clothes allow them to endure direct sunlight a wee bit. A naked vampire in sunlight= instant burn, in your case for a nosferatu-weakening. A bundled up vampire would be able to resist the sun for a bit, but the warmth of the sun would eventually penetrate the fabric and affect it. All this is w/ the consideration that any slightly exposed areas-such as eyes aren't hit by sunlight.

gonzoron wrote: I see where you're coming from, alhoon, but I respectfully disagree. Vampires are smart, and would find ways to get around their weaknesses without totally nullifying them, I think. Logically speaking, I don't see how heavy clothing would offer less protection than a window shade, or ceiling. (And I know logic may not apply to mystical creatures, but I prefer when it does.)

To me, a magic ring like you suggest seems even more rule-bending. Personal preference, I suppose, but when the players find out they were fooled by special breed of vampire who took certain precautions, I think they would feel outsmarted. If they found out they were fooled by a magic ring that broke the rules, I think they'd feel cheated. Does that make sense?

Its how you treat sunlight. If the curse actually is "when the sunlight touches the vampire's flesh" then the clothing protects it. If the curse is "When the vampire is exposed to sunlight" then the clothing shouldn't protect it. IMC I prefer the 2nd option. Just a matter of preference.
Yes, vampires are cunning and have few things to avoid as much as sunlight. But why doesn't every nosferatu have a head-to-toe leather suit that covers its body completely, along with a mask with smoked glasses for eyes or something similar to be completely immune to sunlight?
- They don't have to breathe, so there's no need for air openings.
- They don't feel hot so the suit could be thick enough to prevent easy tearing.
Even a poor, non-that-skillful nosferatu could cover itself in a blanket, wear gloves, a hood and a mask. It would look suspicious? Yes, it wouldn't do this every day but the heavy-clothing (and the mask) will protect its anonymity so it can do the dirty job in bright daylight using all its supernatural powers.

If I was a player, I wouldn't feel outsmarted by a nosferatu that just covered its body, I'll feel cheated. On the other hand, a magic ring (while not outsmarting) isn't cheating. But yes, as a player I would prefer to be outsmarted than finding out that he used magic to cover its weakness. However, using clothes would seem far worse to me.

On another topic:Why you believe the ring is rule-bending? You said personal preference, but I am interested to know. (Really, not just backing my opionion).
My opinion is that magic is reality bending, so doing something with magic isn't rule-bending (just difficult).

I agree with Gonzoron. I think that a party that was outsmarted by a creature that was just careful would make them think more carefully about their own actions.

Also, it would be interesting to see how the characters handle finding out how such a creature infiltrated their party so easily. It might make sure that they keep on their toes and are alert to such things in the future but I think that it would be effective.

A suggestion about how to deal with the sunlight issue remember the VRA table about vampires and sunlight and reinterpret it for the Nosferatu. For example, an Old Nosferatu may be able to spend 5 rounds in sunlight before losing his powers, whereas a Patriarch Nosferatu may be able to use his powers in full daylight regardless of exposure. Also, the travel through the mountain might involve a lot of subterranian travel and that would help counteract the sunlight issue.

With regards to the ring, Ravenloft is a Low Magic setting which would make magic items, regardless of who has them very rare. I think that if magic is used too much, it ruins the atmosphere of Ravenloft because magic items need to have a meaning, a story, but they should not be put in on a whim, especially something that powerful in the hands of a lowly Kargat agent. That tips the balance of power: if one kargat agent has one why not all? And then does the party even have a chance?

I think that even Azalin (the most likely source for such an item in the hands of a Kargat agent) would not create an item like that, as he would frown upon the fact that it makes being one of his agents too easy and makes it so there is no challenge. After all, he wants his agents to be the best, so I do not think that he would provide the Kargat with such a device. I think that, because Azalin has used his powers and skills to keep himself hidden and I think he prides himself on the ingenuity it took to do. Therefore, I think that he would want to breed creativity amongst his agents.

I agree. Just giving him a ring to overcome the problem seems a bit like a cheap sollution. Also, if you just give him the ring, then your players would probably feel cheated more, because that way, they were absolutely unable to see through his disguise.
Let your NPC take some risks and give your players a chance as well.

FWIW, I figure that (non-magical) clothing shouldn't offer protection from direct sunlight, because the vampire's supernatural vulnerabilities extend to what it wears, in the same way that spells' effects incorporate what their targets are wearing. If a Resist Fire spell also shields the clothes of the character it's protecting -- if it *didn't*, there'd be a lot of naked PCs running around after every fire-using monster encounter, which isn't exactly conducive to a Ravenloft mood -- then a magical Sunlight Vulnerability should apply to clothing too. It's just part of how D&D magic in general works.

I'd still recommend the weather option. Your players won't feel cheated -- after all, they'll have had plenty of chances to figure it out, you'll have mentioned the crummy weather so often! ;-D -- and it won't violate the low-magic nature of the setting in the same way that Mimic Mortal effects and anti-sunlight rings would. You could even drop hints, by letting the clouds part during one hostile encounter along the way, at which point the "powerful" monk suddenly starts getting beaten up. If the players are sharp enough to guess why, they deserve the tactical advantage of such foreknowledge; if not, they can't accuse you of not giving them clues.

Oh, here's another thought: healing spells. If the party gets into fights during its journey, or faces any other opportunities for injury (such as a landslide), the PCs may grow suspicious if this monk keeps refusing to be healed afterwards ... which he'll have to do, since Cure spells will damage him and give him away.

Solution? Have him carry several vials of a clear yellow liquid, and quaff one after each fight. He can claim they're his personal stock of healing potions, but they're really filled with blood plasma -- far less conspicuous than blood, and non-clotting especially at cold temperatures -- which he's extracted from human blood on a hand-cranked centrifuge. If the PCs ask him to share the "potions" around, let him: the plasma won't hurt them, but it won't help either; once the first vial fails to cure damage in a PC, he can claim they're a special recipe which only works for members of his order. After the adventure is over, a high-level Heal check (or your friendly neighborhood mad scientist; this *is* Lamordia, after all ;-D) can identify the blood plasma for curious PCs.

Rotipher wrote: If a Resist Fire spell also shields the clothes of the character it's protecting -- if it *didn't*, there'd be a lot of naked PCs running around after every fire-using monster encounter, which isn't exactly conducive to a Ravenloft mood -- then a magical Sunlight Vulnerability should apply to clothing too. It's just part of how D&D magic in general works.

My point exactly. You don't want to use magic to overcome the problem? Well, you are right, Ravenloft is a low magic setting, but clothing?

That's not outsmarting IMO, its breaking the rules. And Why doesn't every vampire use that trick? It doesn't need a genious to figure out that.

I'm with alhoon here. Clothing would be too simple for every vampire to use to get around what is supposed to be a major flaw in them.

I think heavy clothing could work but the vampire will be severly weakened and his instincts to hide from the sun could easily take over. Exceptionnally, I'd require the vampire to make fear checks when there's a risk to be exposed (like when he's supposed to eat and needs to take off his scarf).