Vampires are amongst the most feared of all the Undead creatures in the Old World. These terrifying creatures of the night are incredibly strong and fast, and have a supernatural ability to transfix a living opponent to the spot with a withering hypnotic stare.
Considering this it is strange that vampires have proved so singularly unsuccessful at the sport of Blood Bowl. It's true that they are not at their best during the hours of daylight, but they are still deadly opponents none the less. No, it is not the vampires' lack of ability on the field that has led to their downfall, but their behaviour off it. The fact of the matter is that the main reason for the vampires' failure is their woeful lack of control when confronted by a stadium full of what is (to a vampire at least) their absolute favourite thing to drink - a pint or two of a living creature's nice warm blood! What this means is that at any given time it is not uncommon for the bulk of the vampires in a team to be found in the stands, grabbing a quick bite as it were, rather than playing Blood Bowl on the field like they should be doing. This is, of course, excellent news for the team playing against the vampires, if slightly less good news for the rival team's fans...
None the less vampire teams do play Blood Bowl. All vampire teams are
coached by a Vampire Lord, a rather more strong-willed and powerful member
of the vampire race. Vampire Lords are exceptionally intelligent creatures
who thirst for power over other races. This being the case, exactly why
they should want to coach a Blood Bowl team is by no means certain, especially
as the team under their command rarely does very well, but none the less
they do do so.
Vampire Lords are not affected by 'oops' or 'sorry sir' cards, tho 'kidnap rival coach' works to a degree... the opposing team instead has captured the Lord's coffin and he must pay the winnings to get it back (and the other team HAS to return it if paid)
In addition to head coach responsibilities, the Vampire Lord can (after a prep course costing 150k) learn to act has his team's wizard as well. If so, the Fireball and Frog spells work as normal, so long as he is on the pitch or in the reserves box of the dugout, but Lightning Bolt starts from his square instead of the end zone!
| Qty | Positions | MA | ST | AG | AV | Skills | Cost | skill rolls |
| 1 | Vampire Lord | 6 | 5 | 4 | 9 | Hypno Gaze, Regen | 150k | G,S,A |
| 1 | Greater Vampire | 6 | 4 | 4 | 9 | Hypno Gaze, Regen | 130k | G,S,A |
| 0-2 | Vampire | 6 | 4 | 4 | 8 | Hypno Gaze, Regen, Off for a Bite | 110k | G,S,A |
| 0-4 | Lesser Vampire | 6 | 4 | 3 | 8 | Regen, Off for a Bite | 80k | G,S,A |
| 0-2 | Ghoul | 7 | 3 | 3 | 7 | Dodge | 70k | G,A |
| 0-12 | Thrall | 6 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 50k | G |
The Vampire Lord and Greater Vampire must be bought when the team is created. All Vampires use the "double-spp" table for skill progression.
Vampire Heirarchy:
A Vampire Lord is the creator of the team, and the "leader".
He has a strong second in command, the Greater Vampire, who has mastered
his bloodlust and has risen far above his brethen. Beneath them are
the Vampires, then the Lesser Vampires (recently embraced thralls).
Death without regeneration causes a chain reaction among the levels:
If the Vampire Lord dies, the Greater Vampire becomes
the new Lord. He gains +1 ST, and his listed cost increases 20k,
and he is listed as the new Lord.
If the Greater Vampire is killed or 'promoted', then the Vampire with the most spp becomes the new Greater Vampire. He will gain +1 AV (max 10), and lose Off for a Bite, if he has not already done so, and his cost goes up 20k.
If a Vampire dies or gets promoted, then the Lesser Vampire with the most spp moves up to Vampire status, and gains +1 AG, Hypno Gaze (if he doesn't have it already) and +30k to his cost.
Ghouls and Thralls do not advance.
Skill Selection:
A Vampire or Lesser Vampire who rolls doubles may remove Off for a
Bite in leiu of a new skill.
Vampires may "trade in" their skill roll to lose Off for a Bite from the time they gain Star Player status (51 spp) on.
Lesser Vampires gain Hypno Gaze in addition to their third skill when they reach Star Player status.
Bleeding:
If a Vampire is unable to take the field due to OFAB, he may instead
'bleed' a Thrall to remain in play. The Thrall is severely depleted
of blood, and must be placed in the Injured box.
Lesser Vampires cannot bleed Thralls, their bloodlust is too strong..
Apothecaries:
Vampire teams may not hire an apothecary.
Embracing a new Vampire:
A Vampire Lord can, once per game, embrace a slain opponent, adding
him to the team as a Lesser Vampire. In order to do this:
the Vamp Lord must not be
Badly Hurt or worse
the opponent must have been
slain by a Vampire (any type)
the opponent must not be
a big guy or little 'un
the opponent must have been
alive (not Undead or daemonic)
the Vamp Lord must either
have an open Lesser Vamp slot, or retire a Lesser Vamp at the end of the
match
If these conditions are met, the target is Embraced and gains +1 ST. He loses all skills earned in his past life except for physical abilities and stat upgrades. If the player had any stat reductions and/or niggling injuries, those are kept as well. He gains the skills of Regenerate and Off for a Bite, and becomes a Lesser Vampire on the teams roster at the end of the game.
The player's new cost is calculated by taking the normal cost, and adding 30k for the Vamp upgrades, plus 10k for each extra MA or AG, 20k for each extra ST or physical ability.
Players embraced are treated just like any other Lesser Vampire, and may ascend to the ultimate rank of Vampire Lord as well.
the 'Jack Crow' Rule:
No matter how damaged a Vampire Lord or Greater Vampire becomes...they
will never willingly relenquish thier position (even for a really cool
new guy)..they must be killed permanently to remove them from the roster.
While a Vampire may be removed, a Lesser Vampire may only ascend if
a Vampire is killed permanently.
Back to the Rulebook!