Villain idea: The vampire collector

[divinedragonslayer]

This idea has been running around my mind for quite some time. He is the quintessential charming gentleman. A master of guile who can charm his way into anyone's heart. Yet behind the charming veneer lies the thirst of any vampire. A vampire that has specialized tastes. He only drinks the blood of the finest women just as any connoisseur would enjoy only finest wines. But he has a problem of letting go of these prizes.

Now comes the problem. I can see him fairly well mechanically, but I'm having a hard time of breathing life into him for some reason. I know he's going to be a snob for richer things in life and I see him keeping a stock of victims to bleed like cows, but I cannot wrap my head around much more than that for some reason.

He's a wizard or sorcerer who specializes in illusions and enchantment spells, but that's all I really know.

PS:

Salient Curse: Curse of Decay

At some point the vampire received this devious curse which robs the vampire of his most precious possessions. His possessions such as gold and silver develop tinges of film at an increased rate. Likewise cut and uncut plants die faster than they should. Dust gathers at an increased rate. Those living around him lose 25% of their con and cha each week they spend eight hours or more in the same abode. This drain goes away after a week of being out of the same building. If anyone dies of the drain is ressurrected as a vampire or spawn. And more to his chagrin any victim he feeds from lose their lives at the same rate. Furthermore if the person whom he drank blood from leaves this abode he's staying at they instantly die and are resurrected as a spawn vampire.

Any spawn or vampires created by him are Vrykolaka or vryolaka spawn. Otherwise it works exactly like the create spawn ability.

[The Lesser Evil]

Hmm, rather than a pure snob connoisseur, perhaps you could play up the "appreciates variety" aspect. Perhaps the vampire is possessive but surprisingly egalitarian- he can see the good in everybody. (This unusually egalitarian friendliness could be part of his charm- certainly it would be a change from all the overtly elitist aristocrat vampires out there). Although he selects only the finest stocks for his own personal use, he selects them from all bloodlines and all walks of life. Of course, this "variety is the spice of life" attitude almost certainly doesn't originate solely in egalitarianism but made come from a jaded weariness with the same old same old. It may verge on a "gotta catch 'em all" sort of desire to possess and sample every sort of pray the demiplane has to offer (and beyond?)

I'm picturing a NE vampire of Dementlieuse, Richemuloise, or Paridonian origins. He sees himself as an egalitarian proponent of meritocracy- he seeks the finest of women as his prey and the finest of people as his minions without judging as to nationalist or even species. Like many Dementlieuse, he at least superficially works to make sure there are opportunities for advancement for the lower classes (though this may be restricted to advancement in his own ring of corruption.) If confronted about his unholy nature, he might openly admit his condition makes him a bit of an antivillain, but will spout off all sorts of excuses as to how he does more good than evil.

This vampire is sinister because he's little better than openly psychopathic vampires. He does care for people in a sense, but only in an abstract sense. Instead of caring for people as if they were his property, he cares for them in that they are his cause, that gives his life meaning (though he would say it was the other way around). His compassion for what other individuals wish can be slim to none. His caring is also patriarchal and ultimately hypocritical- he seeks to dominate humanity just as any vampire, but does so in a more subtle and insidious way.

The curse you've given this vampire seems very appropriate. I could see him try to get around it by being a vampiric landlord of sorts (both figuratively and literally). He may own little officially (due to his curse) but he may maintain a vast inventory of properties and assets through a web of minions (both free-willed and dominated). Of course, the minions have their property/lands in their own names, but the vampire has connections they need to work their operations. So very much like a feudal lord with semi-independent vassals. For all the vampire's futuristic views, he may be taking society back a step.

Of course, the fun thing about the curse is that it could still work against him indirectly. Material things don't have to be the only things that decay- relationships can also rot away just as sure as anything. With a vampire's vast web of minions and pawns, there's bound to be a few who fall through the cracks and become defectors. These are resources the player characters can exploit. Then again, if you want to muddy the waters enough, you could place the vampire in a place where he (covertly) works against the same enemies as the PCs do- like say, the Falknovian military establishment.

[divinedragonslayer]

That is an interesting way of looking at him. Helping those around around him not because he's good, but because he's narcissistic. Everything he does is ultimately to stroke his own ego which would be quite fitting. I need to read up on those domains again sometime, but it sounds like an interesting idea to make him from those places. Especially if he inherits the love of court politics from a Dementlieuse heritage.

I absolutely love the idea of him guiding people into a 'better' place to feed his own narcissism. Expelled from Dementlieu after being found out a vampire he goes to Bariovia to find a truly backwater civilization. With Shrahd being more or less an absentee ruler he takes it unto himself to pull the nation up to where Dementlieu is at at cultural standpoint. Of course because he is pulling this backwater kingdom out of the dark ages he deserves only the best. But because of his curse he he can only have glimpses of the opulence he so desperately craves.

As for the decaying relationship aspect of things that's interesting to say the least. I do like the idea of him having to take vassals to frustrate his own goals of furthering the culture. And of course there would always be a few defectors here and there, but the main idea of the curse is that no matter where he lives in a short matter of time the opulence would turn to squalor. This is especially true of his victims who he sees as no different than fine wines.

I do see him using necromancy to raise the dead some. More dabbling in the art rather than going all out. This is two fold. To create loyal servants that will resist his curse and to preserve the beauty of his favorite prey in the form of Lebendtod to preserve their beauty. Yet the lack of warmth radiating from them means that he gets little pleasure from these victims.

[The Lesser Evil]

If you take the "enlightened gentleman" vampire to Barovia, the Gundarakites would seem like a logical group he'd want to work with. As an oppressed, desperate, and alienated minority, I'd think he'd see them as a tool that is both useful and fitting to his need for "causes". The good thing about "befriending" the Gundarakites is that if everything fails in Barovia, he can flee into Invidia and ally with the Gundarakites there.

Lyssda von Zarovich, as something of a disaffected insider, might make for another ally against Strahd loyalists. And she also seems to have at least a few contacts outside the domain, should our vampire need them.

I think his potential reactions to the cults of Erlin and the Morninglord (both cults vying with each other for the Gundarakite's faith). On the one hand, Erlin would fit the vampire's unnatural nature more. On the other hand, I can't really see him embracing Erlin's cult much because of its crass malice. One the one hand, the Morninglord's faithful would see the vampire dead because of his very nature. On the other hand, wouldn't it just be deliciously ironic if he supported and manipulated them against the competing forces of darkness within Barovia? The Morninglord is one of the few religions (perhaps the ONLY religion?) to ever resonate at all with the usually dour, xenophobic, and fatalistic native Barovians. Thus, co-opting the Morninglord's cult may be one of the few ways to endear himself to a majority of the people of Barovia. Even if the vampire's was discovered, that the Morninglord's faithful associated with a vampire would be a strong blow against their credibility (thus lowering the cooperation from the general public monster hunters are sol reliant on).

[divinedragonslayer]

That's an interesting way to look at things. The Gundarakites would would be a good group for him to work with, but I almost being drawn to the von Zarovich family. While he could not pass himself off as one I could see him being drawn to them because he wouldn't have to hide his nature and he sees their power, their grandeur as part of his idealized way of life.

His involvement with Lyssda could make for some interesting moving and shaking, but I don't see him really caring about gaining that type of power. He wants to enjoy his unlife in all it's opulent excesses. While he would definitely take steps to befriend the local populous stirring up trouble isn't on his agenda. Though it might be fun to manipulate Lyssda for his own pursuit of imbedding himself in the population.

That being said it might be interesting to make him a von Zarovich.

Edit:

After rereading the second post I think that him supporting the Gundarakites, though less from a militaristic standpoint. I see him trying to build up them up as they would be in Dementleu up to a certain point. I see him being almost at odds with the boyars and burgomasters might give him problems, but I almost see them not caring if he helps the Gundarakites as long as it keeps them pacified. In return he gets the tribute he desires.

[Boris Drakov]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiss_the_Girls

This book and partially the film too encapsulates such a character, albeit in serial killer form.

[divinedragonslayer]

That sounds like an interesting idea. But I need to reread some stuff.

[divinedragonslayer]

Thank you for your input it was certainly helpful, but to be honest I think I'm going to put this on hold. Instead of Barovia I think I'm going to set this in Nidala since it fits my theme better. I will however file this back if I ever get the chance to use it again.