What animal forms would actually be good for vampires?

[The Jack]

Crocodile (and any water based critter) has the issue of being a cheaty way of defeating the "can't cross running water" penalty. I doubt it would be allowed.

Sample vampire doesn't have this weakness.
And I have been wondering what an aquatic vampire would pick. Dolphins, Orcas, Sea Lions? Vampire squids?

I have to question the 65kg bug. I've heard of dragonflies with >1m wingspan, but they certainly didn't weight 65kg. Also insects during this time enjoyed an atmosphere with three times the oxygen and no vertebrate predator/competitors. They aren't viable now.

Not everything needs to climb up to the vampire's size, it just can where it's useful. The Oxygen isn't an issue as far as energy is concerned, as the vampire doesn't need to breath to keep up a stamina. Perhaps thick oxygen'd make it easier to fly due to aerodynamics or something, but until then... This also goes for your next bit.

Deer

No herbivores.

[hamishspence]

Deer can be slightly predatory: they have been known to hunt small birds.

https://www.outdoorhub.com/stories/2...abits-of-deer/

[Tvtyrant]

I have to question the 65kg bug. I've heard of dragonflies with >1m wingspan, but they certainly didn't weight 65kg. Also insects during this time enjoyed an atmosphere with three times the oxygen and no vertebrate predator/competitors. They aren't viable now.

65kg fliers also have the issue of preferring to soar and finding climbing extremely expensive. Expect them to live near cliffs full of useful thermals to avoid manually climbing (in the aircraft sense with wings, not claws). The typical assumption is that the vampire would assume the form when pressed, but a large flyer would assume that the vampire would get into position (probably at the top of a tower) and then change form. Of course if he had both a bat and a pteranodon form, that would be the best of both worlds.

The deer form has some issues. Should the vampire posses/hypnotize/control other deer and launch them toward a victim, that would be terrifying. A vampire simply attacking vehicles is bad enough (assuming that they are indifferent to anything but special (typically silver) attacks and nothing but a good staking will finish them off), but eventually somebody will finish the job and happen to have silver bullets (perhaps leftover from the zombie craze), and become suspicious. Also the deer has to be sufficiently mobile after being hit by a car to bite the driver and/or passenger, this may require the vampire using a "real" deer to attack the vehicle. Moose are considerably more dangerous (you simply *must* brake for moose), but only the >>100kg are the ones that commonly lethal.

This guy, and these things. As vampires they don't need oxygen, so they should be able to flipper about just fine.

[Imbalance]

No herbivores.

How about parasites? A 65 kilo leech seems fitting, though probably not optimal. It would certainly be terrifying.

[The Jack]

It's a useless form. Also, passing as a normal animal's an advantage, so grabbing pre-historic examples and up-scaled insect's a disadvantage.

[Melayl]

65kg fliers also have the issue of preferring to soar and finding climbing extremely expensive. Expect them to live near cliffs full of useful thermals to avoid manually climbing (in the aircraft sense with wings, not claws). The typical assumption is that the vampire would assume the form when pressed, but a large flyer would assume that the vampire would get into position (probably at the top of a tower) and then change form. Of course if he had both a bat and a pteranodon form, that would be the best of both worlds.

A normal 65 kg flier doesn't have a vampire's enhanced strength. A vampire's strength should be sufficent to get a vastly greater mass airborne from the ground...

[redwizard007]

Beasts and vermin. The vampire has power over them because they are creatures of the Devil, traditionally. That list could easily be expanded using a thematic guideline. Some of the previous posts strike me as a bit silly given the source material.

[veti]

I vote for badger, in place of deer. It's a carnivore, nocturnal, and suitably feared by drivers. (If you have the misfortune to hit even a normal-sized badger, it's probably going to render your car inoperable. I imagine a 65 kg one could probably take out a fire truck.)

[Knaight]

There's a lot to be sad for a dragonfly. They can clearly scale up and fly well given enough oxygen, which in the context of a vampire that doesn't need to breathe means you can go to if not past the size of prehistoric dragonflies at their largest. That leaves a form that's a highly effective predator with downright ridiculous mobility.

[Jay R]

Frankly, I reject the question. Vampires don't decide what a vampire's forms are. They are iconically a wolf, a bat, and a mist.

I have no interest in a vampire who changes these, for the same reason I have no interest in a vampire who sparkles.

[wumpus]

There's a lot to be sad for a dragonfly. They can clearly scale up and fly well given enough oxygen, which in the context of a vampire that doesn't need to breathe means you can go to if not past the size of prehistoric dragonflies at their largest. That leaves a form that's a highly effective predator with downright ridiculous mobility.

Can vampires scale up their form arbitrarily, or is it just that you can choose forms that have to adjust to conserve mass?

Does this also mean that a vampire will typically choose to make spawn from the fattest (well at least heaviest) available humans (assuming that ythey can't make a vampire horse or something)?

[tiornys]

Can vampires scale up their form arbitrarily, or is it just that you can choose forms that have to adjust to conserve mass?

Does this also mean that a vampire will typically choose to make spawn from the fattest (well at least heaviest) available humans (assuming that ythey can't make a vampire horse or something)?

And suddenly, the reason why we don't have human vampires running around any more. They're all whales now.

[Kato]

I propose a vampire Kolibri, and no I don't care about the proposed rules but the idea of a giant kolibri hunting maidens to attack with their tongue is too funny.

Also, I guess à cat type (lion, panther, cheetah..) really is the best but I don't think it's much of an advantage over the classic wolf.

[halfeye]

I propose a vampire Kolibri, and no I don't care about the proposed rules but the idea of a giant kolibri hunting maidens to attack with their tongue is too funny.

I remember Kolibri being a brand of fancy cigarette lighter (and I think perhaps jewellery). What's the monster?

Also, I guess à cat type (lion, panther, cheetah..) really is the best but I don't think it's much of an advantage over the classic wolf.

Mustelid, hyena, cat, canine, bear is my ranking of those, if we are talking per kilo ferocity, though I'm not certain exactly where the hyenas belong.

[Xania]

How about parasites? A 65 kilo leech seems fitting, though probably not optimal. It would certainly be terrifying.

Yes, or a gadfly, so the flying skill is still there like in the bat form.
I have a phobia for flies so not sure if everybody would see it as horrible like me.

[Kato]

I remember Kolibri being a brand of fancy cigarette lighter (and I think perhaps jewellery). What's the monster?



Mustelid, hyena, cat, canine, bear is my ranking of those, if we are talking per kilo ferocity, though I'm not certain exactly where the hyenas belong.

Ugh, I forgot that's not one of the animals with a similar English name, sorry. Hummingbird, Kolibri is the German word for hummingbird.

I'd wager hyenas are slightly less ferocious than others... A quick skim on Wikipedia on the other hand tells me they can be quite predatory towards humans given the right circumstances. I guess their reputation makes them look lazier (?)

[Eldan]

Frankly, I reject the question. Vampires don't decide what a vampire's forms are. They are iconically a wolf, a bat, and a mist.

I have no interest in a vampire who changes these, for the same reason I have no interest in a vampire who sparkles.

There's a lot more to mythological vampires than just that, even if we restrict ourselves to Eastern European ones. Albanian Shtriga turn into moths or flies. Romanian Moroi turn into bears, or take possession of bears. The also Romanian Pricolici turn into all manner of animals, including wolf/man hybrids and owls, in addition to the more normal wolf, bat and dog. I've once seen a badly sourced article that claimed that the Roma also claimed frogs, horses and sheep might be vampires in disguise, using harmless-looking forms to sneak up on people. And of course there is the ever-ridiculed vampire watermelon.
Dracula turned into a dog and most likely another human (Harkness), and he's about as canonical as you get for vampires.

[hamishspence]

Who's Harkness?

[Eldan]

Harker. I mean Harker.

[Xania]

There's a lot more to mythological vampires than just that, even if we restrict ourselves to Eastern European ones. Albanian Shtriga turn into moths or flies. Romanian Moroi turn into bears, or take possession of bears. The also Romanian Pricolici turn into all manner of animals, including wolf/man hybrids and owls, in addition to the more normal wolf, bat and dog. I've once seen a badly sourced article that claimed that the Roma also claimed frogs, horses and sheep might be vampires in disguise, using harmless-looking forms to sneak up on people. And of course there is the ever-ridiculed vampire watermelon.
Dracula turned into a dog and most likely another human (Harkness), and he's about as canonical as you get for vampires.

Don't knew nothing about those Albanian vampires, seems like my suggestion is just an existing one

There are also vampires that leave their bodies hidden and inert and become ethereal entities in Africa.

[hamishspence]

Harker. I mean Harker.

When did he turn into Harker? It's been a while since I read the book.

[veti]

When did he turn into Harker? It's been a while since I read the book.

Yeah, ditto.

Also, my interpretation is that the "dog" was a standard wolf form, as witnessed by not-particularly-discerning British observers-who'd-never-seen-a-wolf, at a distance and in the dark.

[hamishspence]

I got the impression it was intended to invoke the whole "barghest" thing from folklore:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barghest

[Eldan]

It's been a long time for me too,but I distinctly remember Dracula imitating Harker? Maybe I'm misremembering things and he only did the voice? But there was something like that.

[Kato]

Yeah, I think at some point he somehow imitates him to lure / manipulate... Lucy? But I don't think the story makes it clear if she sees him or just hears him.

[Rogar Demonblud]

I have no interest in a vampire who changes these, for the same reason I have no interest in a vampire who sparkles.

Oh come on, we all know the vampire only sparkles when subject to Protection From Sunlight.

[Reese Briggs]

Crocodile (and any water based critter) has the issue of being a cheaty way of defeating the "can't cross running water" penalty. I doubt it would be allowed.



I have to question the 65kg bug. I've heard of dragonflies with >1m wingspan, but they certainly didn't weight 65kg. Also insects during this time enjoyed an atmosphere with three times the oxygen and no vertebrate predator/competitors. They aren't viable now.

65kg fliers also have the issue of preferring to soar and finding climbing extremely expensive. Expect them to live near cliffs full of useful thermals to avoid manually climbing (in the aircraft sense with wings, not claws). The typical assumption is that the vampire would assume the form when pressed, but a large flyer would assume that the vampire would get into position (probably at the top of a tower) and then change form. Of course if he had both a bat and a pteranodon form, that would be the best of both worlds.

The deer form has some issues. Should the vampire posses/hypnotize/control other deer and launch them toward a victim, that would be terrifying. A vampire simply attacking vehicles is bad enough (assuming that they are indifferent to anything but special (typically silver) attacks and nothing but a good staking will finish them off), but eventually somebody will finish the job and happen to have silver bullets (perhaps leftover from the zombie craze), and become suspicious. Also the deer has to be sufficiently mobile after being hit by a car to bite the driver and/or passenger, this may require the vampire using a "real" deer to attack the vehicle. Moose are considerably more dangerous (you simply *must* brake for moose), but only the >>100kg are the ones that commonly lethal.

Vampires are potentially immortal, but they do have a few weaknesses. They can be destroyed by a stake through the heart, fire, beheading and direct sunlight, and they are wary of crucifixes, holy water and garlic.

[wumpus]

Vampires are potentially immortal, but they do have a few weaknesses. They can be destroyed by a stake through the heart, fire, beheading and direct sunlight, and they are wary of crucifixes, holy water and garlic.

The catch is that once a vampire is smacked by a F-150 (typical vehicle where whitetail deer live) it can easily be staked (if the driver (or any passengers, tow truck operator, etc) has any reason to believe that the deer is a vampire. It will have great difficulty finding its way to a coffin (especially if broken limbs in one form disable flight in another form) and is in grave danger of getting direct sunlight in a few hours (presumably this counts even in reasonably thick forests).

Using other deer (now known to be occasional opportunistic carnivores) as sacrifices to get surprised drivers out of their trucks/cars is likely to be rather effective.

[Gullintanni]

I vote for badger, in place of deer. It's a carnivore, nocturnal, and suitably feared by drivers. (If you have the misfortune to hit even a normal-sized badger, it's probably going to render your car inoperable. I imagine a 65 kg one could probably take out a fire truck.)

I think this is a sensible option. Badgers are also burrowers, so they have the natural ability to outmaneuver one of vampire's traditional weaknesses if they happen to lose track of time.

[Peelee]

Ugh, I forgot that's not one of the animals with a similar English name, sorry. Hummingbird, Kolibri is the German word for hummingbird.

My baby has an English/Korean colors book and an English/German animals book. And while I like them, whenever he brings the animal book to me I'm always thinking they could have picked different animals. I don't think he's learning much with der Tiger, das Zebra, and die Giraffe.