A preternatural being that sometimes feeds on human blood. A virtually endless variety of vampires have been identified including several non-humanoid types such as cats, spiders, frogs, disembodied spirits and even some fruits, vegetables, and trees.

The following applies to the common modern vampire, a relatively immortal being who was once human, and has been turned by one of the methods described below. Even though these are undead creatures they are usually intelligent, charming, good looking, and have a reputation for being fashionably dressed.

A human can be turned into a vampire by another vampire, this is called siring or being sired. The common knowledge is that the blood is drained to the point of death and then the blood is replaced and the human rises as a new vampire. The exact details of the method are highly guarded and are not ordinarily shared even among vampires.

It is not clear what the drained blood is replaced with or how it is replaced, the victim may be drained only to very near death and then nursed into "recovery". There has been some speculation that sorcery may be involved but this is doubtful because it is possible for a human to spontaneously turn after suffering a vampire attack but this is extremely rare, probably because of what needs to happen in order for the transformation to occur.

A vampire is not a living creature it does not breathe and it is not able to reproduce. However, if a human is sired while pregnant and the pregnancy is advanced enough so that the child can survive outside of the womb, then the mother and her unborn child may both be sired and a vampire birth may take place.

A new vampire may exhibit the following symptoms: weight loss, fatigue, pale skin, restlessness, anxiety, aversion to sunlight, extreme hunger or thirst, and unbearable cravings for blood. Over time most of these symptoms can be brought under control.

A subculture of humans exist that are willing to be living blood donors to vampires in exchange for nothing more than being allowed to be in their company. Some may derive sexual satisfaction by providing this service and others probably have a secret hope that they will one day be sired but this is highly unlikely.

Vampires can be destroyed by thoroughly burning to ashes, decapitation, driving a wooden stake through the heart (much more difficult than it sounds), and prolonged exposure to sunlight over a period of time will kill some. Trapping the vampire with sorcery (bottling) should be considered before termination as vampirism can be brought under control. Warning: The above methods may not work on all types of vampires.

Another subculture of humans exist who are not true vampires in the classic sense yet they openly refer to themselves as "real vampires" and feel that they have much in common with the classic creature.

Also known as vampyre.

See Also: Creatures by Type: Vampires