Vampire notes

It's inevitable that I'm going to write something with vampires in it some time, so I'm going to brainstorm/research various myths, list them here, and decide which ones I want to incorporate into my "way things work".

Powers

• Flight.
• Immortality.
• Rapid healing.
• Shape-shifting (bat, wolf, cat, raven, shapeless mist, other human appearance).
• Strength.
• Skill with weapons.
• Charm/glamour/seduction/domination.
• Turning/Making new vampires.
• Heightened senses/telepathy.
• Heightened intelligence or knowledge (age derived or other).

Vulnerabilities

• Sun will burn/explode/destroy.
• Holy water will burn and potentially kill.
• Repulsed by a cross or other holy symbol (often tied to the actual faith of the wielder).
• Must be invited in, before entering someone's home (or something bad happens, either loss of power or actual harm to the vampire).
• Can't stand on holy ground (repulsion/harm).
• Vulnerable to whatever is in the blood of those they feed on (drugs/alcohol/bloodborne pathogens).
• Killed by having a wooden stake driven through their heart.
• Killed by having their head cut off and holy wafers stuffed in their mouth.
• Fire can kill a vampire, in fact, many are surprisingly flammable.
• Cats can detect vampires and noticeably despise them, sometimes attacking them.

Quirks

• Don't give off a reflection, sometimes repulsed by reflective surfaces for that reason.
• Can detect other vampires nearby.
• Can't eat human food (become ill/vomit/cramp).
• Must return to special "lair" for rest/safety during the day (separate from sun avoidance).
• Though often appearing beautiful, may actually be illusory, hiding bestial visage or putrid decaying flesh.
• Hunger for blood and sexual arousal are often co-mingled.
• Somehow, through sexual intercourse, male vampires can still impregnate human (or other) females, or likewise, a female vampire may actually become impregnated and carry a "half vampire" (Dhampir) child to term and give birth.
• Prone to losing temper/fits of rage.
• Maintains much of previous human personality for some amount of time, gradually changing under the impact of new experiences.
• Will enter a "Torpor", a state of hibernation, either due to lack of blood or emotional angst/apathy/despair/indifference/self-loathing.
• Vampires and werewolves don't like each other... at all.

Vampire Ecology

Vampires will surround themselves with servants, often under their domination, for protection and to see to their needs. This may include feeding from certain humans without draining them too far (a "people farm"). This usually includes animals or human thralls trained to defend them when they are vulnerable (torpor/day time). This may include humans or weaker vampires trained to fight. This may include humans or weaker vampires who are lovers. This can be as simple as a guard dog who keeps people out of a bedroom with blackened windows, or as complicated as a large castle/estate with dozens of servants.

Often cities will be gathering places for vampires (go where the food is), with the occasional hermit out in the wilds being the exception. In cities, some vampires will cluster together and form social networks, either tenuous or rigidly defined. There are cases of a militaristic rank system being implemented based on strength and political savvy, where the leader of an area is called the "Prince". In less regimented systems, they can simply be a small (2 - 4) group who live together and act in each other's interest, or in the extreme, individuals who never trust others of their own kind, but have a secret system of communication and even trade throughout the city.

Creation/Source of Power

Vampires derive from a single source. This is usually a cursed individual, or someone given a "dark blessing", cursed of God, beloved of Satan, etc. A popular figure for this is Cain, the first murderer. The "gift" is transferred from vampire to human, usually by killing them, though some myths have it travel like an infection after being bitten, with death being unnecessary. Usually there is a waiting period (Christ's weekend vacation) of a few days, and then the transformation is complete.

Vampires either grow in power with age, and possibly the number of victims, or based on the "generation" that they are from the "source". Though stronger after feeding, and weaker when hungry, a lasting increase in power often comes from feeding from another vampire who is older or of an earlier generation. The "generation model" can lead to some social complications as a 5th generation vampire who is still around in the 21st century might make a new vampire (who would be 6th generation), and that new vampire might (potentially) be more powerful than a vampire who has been around for hundreds of years, but was created by an 8th generation (for example) vampire.

Vampires often have the opportunity to free themselves from their condition (sometimes expressed as a "limited time offer") by destroying the one who made them, or the ultimate "boss" vampire. Most frequently it is enough to destroy the one who made you to be released from the curse/gift and go back to being human/die peacefully. In such situations, it is hypothesized that all vampires might be destroyed forever if the "first vampire" were destroyed.