The primary masquerade problem of a high-society vampire

[Solan]

Van Richten's Guide to Vampires addresses several of the issues such a creature would have posing as a wealthy mortal, but doesn't really tackle the most vexing and important one of all: sleeping during the daytime. Even the least aware are likely to notice eventually that Monsieur Vladimir is never seen before nightfall and start wondering why. So I started thinking about how an undead bloodsucker could get around such a sadly obvious tell. Here's what I came up with, and feel free to add more ideas!

1. Passionately driven artist-A vampire skilled at painting or sculpture could not only make money through such endeavors, but also win a position in high society and be able to present an excellent reason why he's never seen during the daylight hours: he's driven by his artistic vision to work the entire day. Only after dinner does he rest and perhaps frequent the balls and parties to which such an artist might be invited. This works best if he has an broker responsible for selling his works. Those interested in purchasing them are free to come and do so, but the artist in his studio is never to be disturbed. Naturally, hidden somewhere within the studio is his favorite coffin.

2. Double trouble-A vampire illusionist might cloak a trusted, charmed human as his double, solely to be seen during the day. A non-magic using vampire could achieve the same result by coming to terms with a Ravenloft Doppelganger. In both cases the imposter gets a cushy life and need only confine himself to the vampire's home after sunset, briefing the awakening vampire each evening on what went on during the day.

3. Infirm and elderly-A vampire unfortunate enough to have been turned very late in life or even just one skilled at disguise could put on a facade of being a homebound invalid, someone who naturally spends a lot of time sleeping and simply isn't vigorous enough to venture outside. Granted, this certainly takes some of the fun out of being a member of the upper class, but for an introverted vampire it could work quite well and he could still throw occasional parties at his residence, perhaps emphasizing through quick wit that though his body may be weak, his mind remains sharp and agile.

What do you guys think? Any other ideas?

[Five]

In my mind, anything that can, at the minimum, sow doubt in the minds of casual observers or those that the vampire in question takes into its sphere of unlife. It's mimicry (and/or arrogant mockery for some), but calculated. Something with a ready excuse, hand wave dismissal, a chuckle, fake surprise or outrage, etc. But can they conceal the gleaming eye of the hunter as it spots potentially new prey? Dig deeper, bite deeper...

Artists (as you've said), actors (the day truly begins with the after hours parties), carefree "old money" toff, an eccentric (Howard Hughesish; "oh that's just the way they are. Odd, but when you have that kind of money..."), coroner/nightshift worker, night hours priest (one priest can't cover 24 hours in a day, and if the church has perpetually open doors then it fits; I like basing holy/unholy on what the vampire believed in before undeath, not the living others..),..

[Rock of the Fraternity]

There is another option, which could bring food to the vampire: posing as a generally debauched rake.
The kind of handsome party animal who never wakes up before evening and parties the whole night through. He's so scandalous, but his massive charm makes him seem exciting. He's every rich gambler's friend, every doe-eyed socialite's illicit fantasy. Wine flows like rain and the dice dance almost as well as he does, whenever he graces an event, be it a back-alley dice game or a high society ball.
And no one suspects that behind his roguish smile hide the fangs of a predator...

[IanFordam]

There is another option, which could bring food to the vampire: posing as a generally debauched rake.
The kind of handsome party animal who never wakes up before evening and parties the whole night through. He's so scandalous, but his massive charm makes him seem exciting. He's every rich gambler's friend, every doe-eyed socialite's illicit fantasy. Wine flows like rain and the dice dance almost as well as he does, whenever he graces an event, be it a back-alley dice game or a high society ball.
And no one suspects that behind his roguish smile hide the fangs of a predator...

Honestly, that reminds me of some of the folks I used to know at the goth club. And I never thought anything of the fact that I only saw them after dark.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

There is another option, which could bring food to the vampire: posing as a generally debauched rake.
The kind of handsome party animal who never wakes up before evening and parties the whole night through. He's so scandalous, but his massive charm makes him seem exciting. He's every rich gambler's friend, every doe-eyed socialite's illicit fantasy. Wine flows like rain and the dice dance almost as well as he does, whenever he graces an event, be it a back-alley dice game or a high society ball.
And no one suspects that behind his roguish smile hide the fangs of a predator...

Honestly, that reminds me of some of the folks I used to know at the goth club. And I never thought anything of the fact that I only saw them after dark.

Now, see, this is a great seed for a Gothic Earth game set in modern times -- or maybe a more modern Ravenloft domain.

[Solan]

There is another option, which could bring food to the vampire: posing as a generally debauched rake.
The kind of handsome party animal who never wakes up before evening and parties the whole night through. He's so scandalous, but his massive charm makes him seem exciting. He's every rich gambler's friend, every doe-eyed socialite's illicit fantasy. Wine flows like rain and the dice dance almost as well as he does, whenever he graces an event, be it a back-alley dice game or a high society ball.
And no one suspects that behind his roguish smile hide the fangs of a predator...

Honestly, that reminds me of some of the folks I used to know at the goth club. And I never thought anything of the fact that I only saw them after dark.

Yes, but you don't live in Ravenloft!

[Rock of the Fraternity]

There is another option, which could bring food to the vampire: posing as a generally debauched rake.
The kind of handsome party animal who never wakes up before evening and parties the whole night through. He's so scandalous, but his massive charm makes him seem exciting. He's every rich gambler's friend, every doe-eyed socialite's illicit fantasy. Wine flows like rain and the dice dance almost as well as he does, whenever he graces an event, be it a back-alley dice game or a high society ball.
And no one suspects that behind his roguish smile hide the fangs of a predator...

Honestly, that reminds me of some of the folks I used to know at the goth club. And I never thought anything of the fact that I only saw them after dark.

Yes, but you don't live in Ravenloft!

Don't we?
...
It'd explain some things.

[Mephisto of the FoS]

actors (the day truly begins with the after hours parties)

Actors have to rehearse though.
Also a mirror is an essential item in an actors wardrobe which they sometimes share with fellow actors. Unless if it is a vampire troupe.

[Five]

actors (the day truly begins with the after hours parties)

Actors have to rehearse though.
Also a mirror is an essential item in an actors wardrobe which they sometimes share with fellow actors. Unless if it is a vampire troupe.

Budding actors, or actors still cutting their teeth and otherwise working on their confidence do, but star actors, those whose mastery that enable them to simply show up after reading the script once and knock out their lines in a single take (anything less is a reflection on their peers' lack of mastery) don't. They'll be talked about behind their backs, sure, but when they show up it's a whole other reality, mixed with awe and respect (for talent). For daytime rehersals for these sorts of talents there are stand-ins, possibly thralls in a vampire's case.

As for mirrors and shared rooms, not so for the headliner. They get their own room...or the show must go on without them, their mastery of (charm) the art.

Point is, there are ways to enable a vampire to infiltrate society at practically any level.

The key is, or probably would be, to designate some sort of "hunting grounds agreement", if there are multiple vampires plaguing a single population/"farm". Something that enables the undead individuals their current hunting trend, but reduces heat from overhunting/feeding. When trends becone stale, old, or boring, they either move on or possibly exchange turf/livestock/professional portfolios with one another in a secret gathering/back room kind of way.

Obviously there can and will be politics involved, with some hunting disputes (persons of interest to the vampire being or travelling out of their area and into anothers), maybe a simmering turf war, or a rare alliance if/when new hunters (both undead and exceptionally powerful living) visit the farm and try to impose themselves on the livestock (such disrespect!), or attempt to shut down operations.

[Solan]

There is another option, which could bring food to the vampire: posing as a generally debauched rake.
The kind of handsome party animal who never wakes up before evening and parties the whole night through. He's so scandalous, but his massive charm makes him seem exciting. He's every rich gambler's friend, every doe-eyed socialite's illicit fantasy. Wine flows like rain and the dice dance almost as well as he does, whenever he graces an event, be it a back-alley dice game or a high society ball.
And no one suspects that behind his roguish smile hide the fangs of a predator...

That's the route the Scarlet Prince took in Borca to avoid suspicion, but he has a huge advantage over vampires in that he can actually consume food and drink. As you pointed out with your "wine flows like rain" line, aren't debauched rakes famous for their indulgence in alcohol?

[Solan]

actors (the day truly begins with the after hours parties)

Point is, there are ways to enable a vampire to infiltrate society at practically any level.

The key is, or probably would be, to designate some sort of "hunting grounds agreement", if there are multiple vampires plaguing a single population/"farm". Something that enables the undead individuals their current hunting trend, but reduces heat from overhunting/feeding. When trends becone stale, old, or boring, they either move on or possibly exchange turf/livestock/professional portfolios with one another in a secret gathering/back room kind of way.

Obviously there can and will be politics involved, with some hunting disputes (persons of interest to the vampire being or travelling out of their area and into anothers), maybe a simmering turf war, or a rare alliance if/when new hunters (both undead and exceptionally powerful living) visit the farm and try to impose themselves on the livestock (such disrespect!), or attempt to shut down operations.

As Van Richten pointed out in his guide, however, no vampire is going to want to infiltrate society at any level lower than the middle class. The abuse customarily heaped on the poor and the lack of material comforts would make for an awfully bleak eternal existence.

Whoa, did the Mists suddenly transport us to the Earth of White Wolf's "Vampire: the Masquerade" ? Van Richten did mention a case where a city held three vampires, but I'd take that to be very much the exception. I don't think there are nearly enough vampires even in Ravenloft to make interaction between them anything but rare. Vampyres, on the other hand, are another story . . .

[alhoon]

There is another option, which could bring food to the vampire: posing as a generally debauched rake.
The kind of handsome party animal who never wakes up before evening and parties the whole night through. He's so scandalous, but his massive charm makes him seem exciting. He's every rich gambler's friend, every doe-eyed socialite's illicit fantasy. Wine flows like rain and the dice dance almost as well as he does, whenever he graces an event, be it a back-alley dice game or a high society ball.
And no one suspects that behind his roguish smile hide the fangs of a predator...

Yeah that could work in a 19th century metropolis with a large upper class. But with very few exceptions, the settlements of Ravenloft are not cosmopolitan cities with 1000+ of upper-classmen, to have a decent number of night butterflies and socialites partying and all; the few Borcan elite would party in houses. Other cities of size are oppressive and pessimistic. Smaller ones like the ones in Dementlieu are small enough that from the 300-400 rich, everyone knows everyone.


Simply put the "socialite vampire" is impossible in Ravenloft. They are the monsters locked in faraway towers or crypts that come out at night.

[Speedwagon]

I don't think it's entirely impossible, as you can see Vladimir Nobriskov from Children of the Night: Werebeasts's entire M.O. is to play the socialite vampire while actually being a werebat. And that's in Lechberg, which is even smaller than Levkarest. But I otherwise understand your point and try to answer questions of monster feeding habits and their relation to demographics by scaling the latter up a significant amount, which helps answer questions about the former.

[Solan]

There is another option, which could bring food to the vampire: posing as a generally debauched rake.
The kind of handsome party animal who never wakes up before evening and parties the whole night through. He's so scandalous, but his massive charm makes him seem exciting. He's every rich gambler's friend, every doe-eyed socialite's illicit fantasy. Wine flows like rain and the dice dance almost as well as he does, whenever he graces an event, be it a back-alley dice game or a high society ball.
And no one suspects that behind his roguish smile hide the fangs of a predator...

Yeah that could work in a 19th century metropolis with a large upper class. But with very few exceptions, the settlements of Ravenloft are not cosmopolitan cities with 1000+ of upper-classmen, to have a decent number of night butterflies and socialites partying and all; the few Borcan elite would party in houses. Other cities of size are oppressive and pessimistic. Smaller ones like the ones in Dementlieu are small enough that from the 300-400 rich, everyone knows everyone.


Simply put the "socialite vampire" is impossible in Ravenloft. They are the monsters locked in faraway towers or crypts that come out at night.

If by "socialite", you mean a perpetually partying rake, as another poster pointed out that's exactly the role Vladimir has adopted in Borca. I agree that particular role would not work for vampires because of their inability to drink alcohol.

Without doubt there are vampires who insert themselves into the upper class of society; Van Richten in his guide wrote of one city in which three vampires were members of the upper class. When one went insane, the other two almost immediately destroyed him in order to protect their own positions. So no, vampires are not all monsters hiding in abandoned ruins.

[Five]

Speaking of Van Richten, I think that sometimes we, as players, characters, and readers, need to keep reminding ourselves that he, although an authority on all things supernatural, is not an infallible source of information. He peppers his texts with such admission: "Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a 'typical vampire'." (VRGtV); "Nevertheless, I have been able to separate--to some degree, at least--the truth of the matter.." (VRGtW); or, as VRGttC best sums it: "As always, however, a would-be vanquisher of evil must remember this rule: nothing in our world is absolute. Do not cling so hard to old beliefs and knowledge that you become blind to new evidence."

Obviously this fact of character/personality/truth doubles as an "in" for DMs to customise monsters of Ravenloft as they see fit.

I just think we can and do, at times and as a community, sometimes attribute too much fact and absolute truth to Van Richten and his in-game role.

I don't think we need to necessarily water the guides and his knowledge through investigations and research down to any great degree, it's just that I do think we need to allow him some degree of imperfection of said insight. At times. To, again, allow inclusivity of DMs' creativity, on top of allowing a major NPC to be a non-perfect entity. In this case, allowing Van Richten to "be human". Which can, in any RL campaign, lead to a great plot twist to throw at your PCs. Especially those cock-sure players/PCs that treat such hunts/encounters as routine...

Maybe it's just me...?