Café de Nuit

Would it be possible for Vampires, and Vampire spawns to enslave a city of dwarves? It seems like a good idea to me, because vampires can't deal with the sun, and there is no sun underground...

What a cool idea! Sure, vampires could do it. One question is : are these vampires the type who have to rest part of the time, in native soil? I really cannot recall what the MM says. Are these human vampires, or dwarven? I believe you can find alternate stats[if you like] for dwarven vampires in Denizens of Dread. No reason you couldn't have both types, actually.

The idea sends shivers down my spine...

However, by enslave do you mean turn them all into vampires, or simply use them as slaves?

Also, as far as the actual event of taking over a dwarven city...well Dwarves are pretty much the main race built for taking on the undead and vampires...they're all hammers and axes, and anyone who isn't a master with a hammer or axe is a cleric. Stereotypically, anyway.

But yeah, you can find the Dwarven Vampire Strain within the Denizens of Darkness which is a template upon a template (assuming you want Dwarven vampires and not just dwarven slaves). Also note...that (typically) sun or no sun, vampires are still weaker during the day and must sleep, but a simple modification to this rule can remove this note.

In the end, the idea offers quite a few adventure hooks and indepth background.

Good luck with it!

This brings up some underused facts from the Monster Manual.
Vampires, as opposed to varient dwarven vampires, must rest in their coffins filled with their natve earth. No excuses! This shouldn't be too hard to accomplish, since they can convey them by wagon or what-have-you.
However, a lack of sunlight does not mean that the vampires are exempt from sleep. Think of a vampire indoors durring the day - he or she is still helpless, even though the sun cannot reach him or her. Whether they like it or not, they will remain powerless durring this time.

Nosferatu vampires, ont he other hand, might get off easier. Does their description say that their power loss is based on sun contact, or lack of sleep?

Hmm...could a vampire train himself to operate on a different sleep cycle if the sun was not a factor, or is it a supernatural thing that can not be changed? I ask this because even underground, a person who's seen only during late hours might still raise suspicions.

It is not the sleep schedule... A vampire has a natural sense when the sun is approaching. When the sun is up the vampire's powers are weakened, it does not matter that no sun reaches the depths of the caverns...

They have a biological clock that makes them dorment during the day.

Darkknight wrote:It is not the sleep schedule... A vampire has a natural sense when the sun is approaching. When the sun is up the vampire's powers are weakened, it does not matter that no sun reaches the depths of the caverns...

They have a biological clock that makes them dorment during the day.

Damn.. That shoots the base of my idea down the poo poo hole.

What about a lich with vampire minions or charmed dwarf thralls?

Or a bunch of dwarf nobles addicted to vampire blood? Or an infuential cult venerating their ancestral dwarven heroes (now returned to them, complete with fangs)? Or just the old "kill anyone who protests, then raise their corpses as undead abominations to serve as bodyguards" tactic, which generally makes most revolutionaries go quiet?

Malus Black wrote:Or a bunch of dwarf nobles addicted to vampire blood? Or an infuential cult venerating their ancestral dwarven heroes (now returned to them, complete with fangs)? Or just the old "kill anyone who protests, then raise their corpses as undead abominations to serve as bodyguards" tactic, which generally makes most revolutionaries go quiet?

I like the last one the best.. thanks.. I might throw in a Golem or two...