Halfling Vampire

Few folk love simple comforts more than halflings, so one turned to evil is a sad loss. A halfling vampire keeps its living looks: about four feet tall, a bit plump, ruddy-faced, with tufts of hair on its hands and feet. It trades cheerful colors for dark clothing. Most know around six languages, typically their own, common, elvish, dwarvish and gnomish.

It has no special Strength bonus. It favors short swords, daggers and other small weapons, and its bare hand deals just 1d4, but each hit also drains 1 Strength and 1 Constitution, applied at once. Halflings killed this way rise as vampires.

It can project a 20-yard aura of weariness. Anyone entering it must save vs. spell; success grants immunity for that encounter only. Failure brings 1d6 rounds of heavy lethargy: -4 to hit, half damage with weapons, and no spellcasting or proficiency checks. The duration lengthens as the vampire ages.

Only weapons of +2 or better harm it, and older ones need more. It saves at +5 against spells, rods, staves and wands, improving with age until such attacks almost never work. It keeps the halfling +1 with thrown weapons, moves silently like an elf, and always backstabs as a 1st-level thief, or better if it was a thief. All have 60-foot infravision, notice even slight slopes 75% of the time, and find direction underground 50% of the time. It ignores sleep, charm, hold, other mind magic, poison, toxins and disease, and need not breathe. Lightning and fire deal half damage, cold full.

It regenerates 2 hp per round, 3 in moonlight and 4 under a full moon. At 0 hp, unless properly destroyed, it becomes smoke and must reach its coffin within 12 rounds or disperse forever. At will it takes that form: a wisp like campfire or pipe smoke, smelling within 10 yards of pipeweed and a cozy inn, immune to melee and spell damage and able to pass a keyhole or cracked pane. It can also become a badger, beaver, skunk or similar small woodland mammal, gaining its senses while keeping its own immunities and mind, and summons 10-60 HD of such animals, arriving in 2d6 rounds and leaving at dawn. Three times a day it creates superb food and drink, and at will casts purify or putrefy food and drink, using fine meals to lull prey.

The smell of a lit pipe reminds it of lost pleasures, keeping it 20 yards from the smoker, and it will not enter a room with a fire in the hearth. It cannot act against either directly, but a minion may put them out. A boldly presented lawful good holy symbol stops it from approaching without driving it off, and holy water or a touching symbol burns for 1d6+1. It is turned normally. Falling rain, nature's cleanser, damages it based on the storm's strength and the length of exposure, and destruction by rain is permanent. Snow does no harm, though it avoids the cold. Each round in direct sunlight deals 3d6, leaves it too pained to attack or defend, and prevents changing form. Continual light and similar spells do nothing, though a sun blade's light works as true sunlight.

The surest end is impaling it with wood lit directly from a hearth (not via another flame), used within 12 rounds, with the burning part driven in. Removing the brand revives it, so cut off the hands and feet and throw them into a hearth fire; keep it burning three hours and the rest of the body smolders away for good.

It rejects the comforts it once cherished and lives in gloomy places that hold no reminders of joy. It hates anyone who can still settle by a fire with a tale and a mug of ale, and works to wreck the contentment of other halflings. Age raises its Hit Dice, save bonus, weapon immunity and the save penalty against its aura.

Its fear of rain shows it has no place in nature. It can make spawn only by killing a halfling with its drain; if the corpse stays intact for 7 days, a new vampire rises.