Category:Dwarven Vampire

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A Dwarven Vampire is a dwarf who has returned from death via the Dwarven Vampire strain of vampirism.

(All humanoids and monsterous humanoids are susceptible to different strains of vampirism, which include that of the basic Monster Manual vampire, that of the Nosferatu, that of the Vrykrolaka, and that of the Chiang-shi. There are also additional race-specific strains of vampirism that each target - and cannot be spread outside of - a specific race.)

In the case of dwarves, this race-specific vampirism is officially known as a Dwarven Vampire, and the strain itself is known as the Dwarven Vampire Strain. Hence, the term "Dwarven Vampires" refers not to all dwarves who are vampires, but only those vampire dwarfs who specifically have the Dwarven Vampire Strain of vampirism.

To avoid this confusion, the resultant creatures afflicted by this specific strain are also called hulzurdan[1] or alternatively uppyr. [2]

The hulzurdan is rare in Darkon and unknown beyond its frontiers. Azalin Rex retains three very different instances of the creature in his employ: Axrock, Beryl Silvertress, and Mulger D'Ajust.

The creature enjoys a potent and growing resistance to spells as it ages. This spell resistance cannot be lowered and for a hulzurdan with spellcasting ability to merely be able to successfully cast a spell it must defeat its own spell resistance. In the case of casting upon itself a spell that is subject to spell resistance the hulzurdan would have to defeat its spell resistance twice.

Errata

DDa Pg. 157 Under “Slaying a Dwarven Vampire”: change the sentence “Exposing a Dwarven vampire disorients it” to “Exposing a dwarven vampire to sunlight disorients it”

John W. Mangrum's Lore[3]

Characters with ranks in Knowledge (religion) can learn more about a creature’s hulzardan’s nature. Characters need to make a separate Knowledge (local) check to learn about the base dwarf. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs.

DC Result

  • 19 This dusty dwarf with skin as hard and cold as marble is a hulzurdan, a sinister undead creature that feeds on the blood of the living. This result reveals all undead traits. Hulzarudans are victims of a strain of vampirism unique to dwarves. Vampires speak the languages they knew in life.
  • 24 Hulzurdans drain blood from victims they get in their clutches, and their physical attacks sap the victim’s strength. Dwarves they drain rise from the grave as new hulzurdans several days after burial. A hulzurdan does not cast a shadow and has no reflection in mirrors. A hulzurdan is spiritually bound to the grave in which it was first buried, and must return to that stone tomb to replenish its unholy powers.
  • 29 A hulzurdan can swim through stone like an earth elemental and can terrify foes simply by looking into their eyes. Sunlight turns hulzurdans to stone, and water drawn from a mineral spring burns them like holy water. They quickly recover from most wounds, but magic weapons forged of adamantine can pierce their supernatural defenses. Hulzurdans heal even more quickly underground. Hulzurdans cannot approach a mirror or holy symbol presented with forceful conviction. To destroy a hulzurdan, one must drive a natural stone spike (such as a stalagmite) through its heart, but this is nearly impossible in direct combat. Not all dwarves slain by a hulzurdan rise as new vampires; most rise as hulzurdan spawn, a lesser horror that exists solely to serve its master as a pathetic slave. To create a new hulzurdan, the victim must be interred underground, in contact with uncut stone (common among dwarf traditions), and the master hulzurdan must sprinkle the corpse with powdered metals, so these creatures are never created accidentally.
  • 34 A hulzurdan cannot enter a building unless it is at least partially constructed of stone or earth, nor can it cross an unbroken line of metal shavings under its own power. A hulzurdan is resistant to cold, electricity, and magic. If slain, a hulzurdan automatically enters its stonewalking state and must stonewalk back to its grave to recover; it cannot leave the stone until it enters its grave, and is destroyed if it cannot do so. A hulzurdan can sense the footsteps of nearby creatures, and can command burrowing creatures, such as badgers, wolverines, or thoqquas. Impaling a hulzurdan does not permanently destroy it — it merely renders the hulzurdan helpless. To permanently destroy a hulzurdan, one must cut out its heart, soak it in oil for three days, and then burn it to ash in a dwarven forge.
  • 39 Many different strains of vampirism exist — this one is simply the most notorious among dwarves. Destroying a master hulzurdan usually has no direct effect on its spawn, other than to free them from their master’s control. In some cases, however, slaying the master instantly destroys all of its spawn.

References

Data from the Ravenloft Catalogue

Monsterous Compendium I & II - pp54-55
Monsterous Compendium I - "Vampire, Dwarf"
Denizens of Darkness

Monsterous Compendium I & II - pp54
Monsterous Compendium I - "Vampire, Dwarf"
Denizens of Darkness - p159

Monsterous Compendium I & II - pp54-55
Monsterous Compendium I - "Vampire, Dwarf"
From the Shadows - p33 Download Now!
Denizens of Darkness - pp149, 156-157, 165

Monsterous Compendium I & II - pp54-55
Monsterous Compendium I - "Vampire, Dwarf"
From the Shadows - p33 Download Now!
Denizens of Darkness - 149, 156-157

Hulzurdan
Dwarven Vampire
Vampire, Dwarven


Pages in category "Dwarven Vampire"

The following 3 pages are in this category, out of 3 total.