Tainted Blood (feat)

*Whether through dark magic or an encounter with a ferocious creature you have become infected with the Tainted Blood. Your body has begun to change and now you have become a creature of the night yourself.*

**Prerequisites**: See *Special*.

**Benefit**: You gain the following traits and abilities.

**Blood Dependency (Ex)**

If a Vampire does not drink the blood of at least one living creature (or a creature that has died within one minute) each day using it's *Blood Drain* ability, it must make a DC 15 Will save or become fatigued. Each day after the first that the Vampire does not drink blood directly from a living creature, the DC increases by 1 until it fails the save and becomes fatigued. After that, it must make a DC 20 Will save each week (with the DC increasing by 1 each week thereafter) that it does not drink blood or become exhausted. The fatigue or exhaustion caused by blood dependency cannot be eliminated by rest (though magic can offset the condition until the Vampire fails another save). Drinking Blood from a living creature eliminates a Vampire’s fatigue immediately, or reduces exhaustion to fatigue.

**Blood Drain (Su)**

A Vampire can suck blood from a grappled opponent; if the Vampire establishes or maintains a pin, it drains blood, dealing bite damage and 1d4 points of Constitution damage. The Vampire heals 5 hit points or gains 5 temporary hit points for 1 hour (up to a maximum number of temporary hit points equal to its full normal hit points) each round it drains blood. If the target of the Vampire's blood drain is either willing or unconscious (including sleeping) the Vampire can forgo the bite damage and deal minimum Constitution damage, doing so the first time each day won't cause the unconscious creature to awaken but any additional blood drain will cause the target to awaken. Anyone who is affected by a Vampire's blood drain finds themselves unable to benefit fully from their next rest, which is filled with sleeplessness or nightmares. The target does replenish any daily abilities (including spells) they normally would on a rest but heals no hit point damage, heals no ability score damage, and does not recover from the fatigued condition. [TBD Spawn]

**Child of the Night (Ex)**

The Vampire's creature type becomes *Vampire* and their subtype remains the same as it was before turning. For example, a High Elf who turns into a Vampire would change their creature type to *Vampire (elf)*. This means they retain any traits from their previous subtype and in addition gain the traits from the *Vampire* creature type. Any contradictory traits are overwritten by the *Vampire* traits. Vampire's are considered *Undead* for the purpose of all effects but have slightly varying traits, listed below.

* No Constitution score. Vampires use their Charisma score in place of their Constitution score when calculating hit points, Fortitude saves, and any special ability that relies on Constitution (such as when calculating a breath weapon’s DC).
* Darkvision 60 feet.
* +4 racial bonus against all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, morale effects, patterns, and phantasms).
* Immunity to death effects, disease, paralysis, poison, sleep effects, and stunning.
* Not subject to nonlethal damage, ability drain, or energy drain. Immune to damage to its physical ability scores (Constitution, Dexterity, and Strength), as well as to exhaustion and fatigue effects, except from the *Blood Dependency* ability.
* Does not heal from resting.
* Negative energy (such as an *inflict* spell) can heal Vampires but positive energy (such as a *cure* spell) harms them.
* Not at risk of death from massive damage, but is immediately destroyed when reduced to 0 hit points.
* Not affected by *raise dead* and *reincarnate* spells or abilities.
* Proficient with its natural weapons.
* Natural weapons are considered to have the *finesse* weapon trait.
* Do not breathe, eat, or sleep but are reliant on blood (see *Blood Dependency*) to keep themselves healthy.
* Cast no shadows and show no reflection.
* Gain a bite attack. Damage for the bite depends on the vampire’s size.

**Vampiric Weaknesses (Ex)**

Vampires have the following weaknesses.

* Exposing any vampire to direct sunlight staggers it on the first round of exposure and destroys it utterly on the second consecutive round of exposure if it does not escape. Vampires in indirect sunlight (such as walking around during the daytime while under the cover of an opaque umbrella or thick canopy of trees) can survive but are considered exhausted during this time (they recover after 1 minute entirely out of the sun) and even with this protection they can only move about for 2 hours before falling unconscious until they brought out of the sun for an hour.
* Each round of immersion in running water inflicts damage on a vampire equal to one-third of its maximum hit points—a vampire reduced to 0 hit points in this manner is destroyed.
* Driving a stake through a helpless vampire’s heart instantly slays it (this is a full-round action). However, it returns to life if the stake is removed, unless the head is also severed and anointed with holy water.

**Special**: This feat cannot be taken like a normal feat. It is given to a character who has come in contact with the Tainted Blood and survived (so to speak) the initial infection. This can happen via regular play or as part of a character's backstory with GM permission. However it is obtained, this feat always counts as a bonus feat. Having this feat grants access to the Paragon Class Vampire Scion, for those who wish to enhance their new abilities.