Vampires, or the Motetz Dam as they often call themselves, are a class of supernatural creature. While they may or may not resemble humans, they are not truly even alive, and are in fact undead creatures, characterized by their need to feed on the blood of the living in order to survive. There are many different breeds, or clans of Vampire from all over the world, each with it’s own characteristics and abilities.
Abilities
Vampires have shown a number of abilities, the scope of which varies by breed. Invisibility is not uncommon. Shapeshifting has been displayed, usually into specific forms such as various nocturnal animals, as has crawling on walls. Many powers, such as taking specific monstrous forms, are limited to specific breeds.
Weaknesses
Much of the common perception of Vampires is invention by the media. Sunlight will not destroy them, rather they are nocturnal and weaker during daylight hours. Some which can take monstrous forms may die if they are not in human form when the sun rises, regardless of whether actual sunbeams hit them or they are indoors. Beheading and burning will both kill them. Staking can work, but the stake must be made of a holy wood such as ash, hawthorn, or oak, or of iron (which is toxic to them in general) and the stake must penetrate the torso, neck, or head entirely and be grounded in the earth as a means of grounding out the energy that animates them. If these steps are not taken, the Vampire will return to life again the first sunset after the stake is removed. Mistletoe has a dug-like effect on them, and hanging it in a doorway may prevent them from passing through it, though this aversion is largely psychological, as is any aversion to holy symbols, which should not be relied upon for defense. Light from a Jack-o’-Lantern is repulsive to them and makes their aura visible, which is why it was traditionally used on Halloween. Most suffer from arithmomania, an obsession with counting, and if presented with scattered grains will be forced to count each one, though many outgrow this habit, and it should not be relied upon except in very young vampires and those breeds which suffer from it permanently.
A Dhampir, those uniquely suited to hunting them by birth, can see an aura around them even when they are invisible or disguised, and can even sense, to some degree, where they are. They then have the ability to infuse normal weapons such as guns with a kind of mystic energy that makes them permanently fatal to vampires where normally they would not be, and can thus kill them by shooting them anyplace that would be immediately fatal to a human.
Breeds
Baobhan Sith
Estrie
Lamia
Lilin
Manananggal
Revenant
Soucouyant
Strigoi
Strix
Tlahuelpuchi
Related
Dhampir
Jiangshi
Strigoi Viu
Vrykolakas