VAMPIRE

The most dreaded of the Chaotic Evil undead is the night-prowling vampire. These creatures must rest in a coffin or similar receptacle during hours of sunlight unless far beneath the surface of the ground, and in the latter case they must occasionally return to such rest, for their power is restored by contact with soil from their grave. Like all undead, vampires exist in two planes at once — in this case the Material and Negative material.

Vampires have 18/76 Strength.

If a vampire scores a hit upon an opponent, its powerful blow causes 5-10 points of damage, and its powerful negative force drains 2 life energy levels from the victim, complete with corresponding losses in hit dice, ability level, attack level, etc.

If it gazes into a person's eyes, the vampire will have the effect of charming, with the victim subtracting 2 from the saving throw versus magic. Charmed persons behave as if they had been successfully struck with a charm person spell.

[See also Gaze Attacks and Monster Charm Power.]

All vampires also have the ability to summon creatures to aid them; in subterranean surroundings usually 10 to 100 rats or bats (the latter only confusing and obscuring opponents' vision, not physically attacking), and in wilderness surroundings typically 3-18 wolves. These creatures come within 2-12 melee rounds.

A vampire can assume gaseous form at will. 

Likewise, a vampire can shape change into a large bat whenever desired — thus the flying movement shown for this monster. 

Vampires are affected only by magical weapons. 

They regenerate damage at 3 hit points per melee round. If brought to 0 hit points by combat, the vampire is not killed, but it is forced into gaseous form. It must then return to its coffin within 12 turns, rest 8 hours, and reform a corporeal body.

Sleep, charm, and hold spells do not affect vampires. Neither do poison or paralysis. 

Vampires take only one-half damage from spells based on cold or electricity.

Holy water splashed upon a vampire causes 2-7 hit points of damage per vial-full which strikes the monster.

Vampires recoil from strong garlic, the face of a mirror, or a cross (or several other holy symbols of Lawful Good) if any of these objects are presented boldly. Note, however, that none of these devices harm or drive the monster off. 

They do cause a vampire to hesitate 1 to 4 rounds before attacking in the case of garlic; a mirror or holy symbol will cause a vampire to position itself so that the object is not between the vampire and its intended victim — or the vampire will have one of its creatures remove the device whose power is keeping it at bay. 

It must be stressed that Lawful Good holy symbols such as the cross are sovereign against vampires of all sorts, regardless of the religious background of the vampire in its human existence.

A vampire can be slain by the following methods:

Any human or humanoid drained of all life energy by a vampire becomes an appropriately strengthed vampire under control of its slayer. This transformation takes place 1 day after the creature is buried, but if and only if the creature is buried. Thus it is possible to have a vampiric thief, cleric (Chaotic Evil in vampire form, of course), etc. If the vampire which slew the creature is itself killed, the vampires created by it become free-willed monsters.

When a character is drained of all energy levels, he or she might become an undead monster of the same sort which killed him or her. (See the appropriate paragraphs pertaining to the undead monsters concerned in the MONSTER MANUAL.) These lesser undead are controlled by their slayer/drainer. Each has but half the hit dice of a normal undead monster of this same type. Lesser vampires have but half their former level of experience with respect to their profession (cleric, fighter, etc.) at the time they initially encountered and were subsequently slain/drained by their now-master vampire, i.e., an 8th level thief killed by a vampire, even though drained to below 0 level in the process, returns as a 4th level thief vampire, as appropriate. However, upon the destruction of their slayer/drainer, such lesser undead gain energy levels from characters they subsequently slay/drain until they reach the maximum number of hit dice (and their former level of class experience as well, if applicable) appropriate to their type of undead monster. Upon reaching full hit dice status, they are able to slay/drain and control lesser undead as they once were. [DMG, p.119]

Vampires of the eastern world are invisible. This gives them all appropriate consideration for invisibility, including a -2 on "to hit" dice rolls for opponents not able to see invisible objects. These vampires cannot charm, however, nor do they have power to assume gaseous form at will.