Daggerfall:Vampirism/Archive

Vampires

Vampire Playing Tips

26 July 1999

When you take damage in "daylight" there is a counter of some sort. (Whack...tick...tick...Whack...tick...tick...etc) If you get the guards after you between "sun whacks", the next time you are about to be "whacked" you get the message "Do you want to surrender to the City guards" - ALWAYS. No guards have to be anywhere near you for you to get the message. Of course, surrender is instant death - you will always be released into broad daylight and die immediately. And non-surrender means your rep goes down. If you want to get in the DB wait until you get "hit" by the sun, QUICKLY kill 4 or 5 people - then immediately Teleport out of town. If you aren't fast enough you'll be asked to surrender - you can be totally invisible and no where near a guard - it won't matter.

You CANNOT join the Dark Brotherhood or Thieves more than once in the game. Period. I made a point of NOT killing anyone before I became a Vampire - then afterward I had a spree. The Dark Brothers contacted me within 3 days just as they were supposed to do. I've not started picking pockets yet - but my guess is since I've not been a Thief yet, they will contact me as well once I start stealing stuff (like they always do).

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Unlimited Spellpoints

If you are a Vampire of the Haarvenu Clan, you can benefit from the following bug/loophole:

As a Haarvenu, you will get the Ice Storm spell which will cost you less than the normal version to cast. But, if you cast this spell and then absorb it (by spell/item/innate ability) you will get back the amount of SP you would have to spend for casting the normal version of the spell. E. g., if the normal version would cost you 20 SP and the vampire version only 5 SP, your magicka pool would be increased by 15 SP if you cast and absorb the "vampiric" ice storm. Thus, you can refill your magicka pool up to maximum any time you like. But beware: if your magicka pool is (nearly) full, you will not be able to absorb the spell and will take damage from it. (tested for patch 213)

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Sunlight and Temples

As a Vampire, you will take damage from sunlight and holy places. This can be avoided by using a simple shield spell. The program obviously interprets the damage you take as a "hit", and first deducts the hitpoints from your shield spell. As long as your shield is up, you won't take any damage from the sun or from holy places. If it is powerful enough, you can even rest outside (but that shield must be extremely powerful). (tested for patch 213)

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Navigating During Daylight

Even though, with a heal spell, going outside in the daytime as a vampire is possible, I have found it difficult to go to stores in the daytime because you arrive at night hungry, can't eat without summoning the guards, and therefore can't sleep at an inn. This method works if you are high enough in the mages guild to teleport. Set a recall anchor outside an inn. Go to the Mages Guild, use the teleporter to travel to a nearby dungeon, feed, then recall back. You can then sleep at the inn and go shopping in the morning. If you can't teleport this next method works, but is more time-consuming. Go at night and set a recall anchor in front of the store you want to shop in. Fast travel to a nearby dungeon, eat, sleep until the store is open, then recall back. After you shop, you can then go to an inn and sleep.

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More Tips on Feeding

All this is not necessary. All you have to do is sneak up behind a guard near the edge of a town and backstab him (backstab ensures you are not hit and asked to surrender) and then run just outside the town (until the automap will no longer come up). Then head back for the town. When you re-enter its as you never even killed the guard and you can now rest, shop, etc. If a guard is not nearby just run inside the city and bust down a few doors to attract a few.

Original Text Written by Sean Azelton,
NellOTP@aol.com,
Jeremy Hagan,
and Tirithiel.

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Retaining Dark Brotherhood Membership?

I found an interesting thing out about the vamprism bit. You're not supposed to be able to join the Dark Brotherhood again after being infected with vamprism, right? Well, after I cured myself, I rejoined the Mages Guild and I got the quest to retrieve and deliver some mage research, blah blah blah. The important thing is, that when the Dark Brotherhood sent their threat, the message was the one you'd get if you were still a member. And when I checked my affiliations for an explanation, it said I was a member of the brotherhood!

Anyway, this seems like a good way to circumvent the problem, although I haven't found similar means to do this with the Thieves Guild.

Original Text Written by Master Gnash

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Vampire Playing Tips

15 March 1997

Daggerfall Vampirism Facts 11/7/1996

(Those I have not confirmed are marked)

Contracting Vampirism

• Vampirism can be contracted from:
  • Vampires. If you soul trap a vampire you can release it in any clan territory to to belong to that clan.
  • Items (confirmed)
  • There is a .6% chance per hit from a vampire of contracting vampirism
    • Warning: There is a 2% chance per hit of contracting other diseases
    • Such diseases can kill the PC before vampirism reaches final stage
• A prophetic dream will come to the PC the first rest after successful infection with vampirism. The dream consists of a beautiful young woman shedding tears of blood.
  • I have seen a potion of cure disease halt the progression of vampirism at this stage.
• On the third night, 72 hours, after dream/infection, Player Character becomes a vampire.
  • PC wakes 2 weeks later in a crypt with all items intact.
  • Be aware of your main quest time limits
• In versions of Daggerfall prior to 179, I have only once successfully crossed a vampire
  • Previous versions, in my experience, crashed at the point of turning, 72 hours after infection/dream

Once a Vampire . . .

• PC's face and background will change in portrait.
• Character loses all affiliations and rank.
  • Character is considered dead by past acquaintances.
  • Reputation, however, does not change other than the natural drift to zero over time.
  • Affiliations can be re-initiated in most guilds. Have joined Mages' Guild, Temples, Knightly Orders, etc...
  • Invitational guilds, such as the Thieves' Guild/Dark Brotherhood have not invited BACK - can be joined if not previously a member. (Bug?)
• Vampires gain a +20 bonus to all prime statistic except for INT.
  • the Anthotis "clan" gains the +20 bonus to INT as well.
• Vampires gain a +30 bonus to the following skills:
  • Jumping
  • Running
  • Stealth
  • Critical Striking
  • Climbing
  • Hand-to-hand
• Vampires (all) gain the following spells:
  • Levitate
  • Charm humanoid
  • Calm humanoid
• Vampires of differing clans gain these spells: (unconfirmed other than Thrafey)
  • Vraseth gain Nibleness
  • Khulari gain Paralysis
  • Montalion gain Free Action (not sure what bonus is here if immune to paralysis)
  • Thrafey gain Heal (handy for daylight excursions)
  • Garlythi gain Shield
  • Selenu gain Resist Fire, Resist Cold, Resist Shock
  • Lysrezi gain Silence, Invisibility
  • Haarvenu gain Ice storm and or Wildfire
    • These spells should cost less than they would as a normal mortal
    • These spells will not replace identical spells in the grimoire, but will be added to it.
• Vampires are immune to paralysis.
  • Monster (computer controlled) vampires are not
• Vampires are supposedly immune to disease.
  • My vampire has been known to contract Witches' Pox
• Vampires are immune to iron and steel weapons.
  • Vampires take damage from arrows even if the aggressor has no bow
• Vampires take damage from being outside in daylight from the hours of 6am to 6pm.
  • A vampire who commits a crime (unsuccessfully) in daylight outside will be asked to surrender to cityguards regardless of whether or not any are in sight.
• Vampires must kill once a day to rest or loiter.
  • Loitering in daylight outside is death
  • Killing any creature will satisfy the hunger and allow rest
    • Townies not included (apparently)
    • Killing and eating is done simply by killing, no special requirements
    • Ghosts and wraiths in Daggerfall make for convenient food for the metropolitan vampire.
• Vampires cannot fast travel from the hours of 6am to 6pm.
  • Vampires can fast travel without killing, useful for regaining hit points, spell points
• Vampiric clans, called "blood families" are supposed to contact the vampire.
  • The clans are currently not contacting, Bethesda says that they are aware of the problem and working on it at this time.
  • The Vampire clans still don't contact you (played with the last patch, 1.95) Problem: The Daedra Azura is giving her quest to places that doesn't exist (a lot of people reported this)
  • It may be at least semi-possible to contact the clans. I was called to kill a vampire I had created who was now a threat...I did so, and the quest giver told me I was one step in the right direction of becoming one of the Selenu (Sentinel). Perhaps it simply takes time to build ones rep with the clans.
• Vampires are still able to continue with main quests.
• A cure is available for vampires, offered about once per game-year.
  1. Vampire hunters will contact the vampire by letter with elegant script
  2. Vampire hunters will enter your home or ship to kill you.
  3. The hunter will start you on a course to find your "blood father"
  4. Killing the blood father should revert you to normal (confirmed). You'll be given two dungeons with a vampire ancient each, one of these is your blood father, you'll have the time to do both dungeons and they are easy the vampire ancient is the only vampire in these dungeon -- I've tried in Daggerfall, Mournoth, Wayrest and Glennpoint -- so when you're near you can hear him.
• When you are a vampire, you do not get extra spell points out of an item that grants extra points around undead just by being yourself.

Original Text Written by Cheshire, Scribe of Elsweyr. Contributions from Glenn R Bundy.

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The Best Vampire Character

OK..... After several re-rolls here's the best ever Vampire Character mix I've found.

Advantages

• Spell Absorption General
• Regeneration General
• Increased Magery 3x Spell Points
• 30 HP a level
• Optional - Acute Hearing (handy for tracking down people in dungeons)

Disadvantages

• Damage in sunlight
• Damage in Holy Places
• Darkness powered Magery - Lower ability in Daylight
• Critical Weakness - Paralysis
• Critical Weakness - Disease
• Forbidden Material - Steel
• Forbidden Material - Elven

This should give you a level up of about x0.3. Now get turned into a Vampire as quickly as possible. This means that any disadvantages you get for vampirism like damage in sunlight and Holy places you already have... and are getting Level bonuses for, and your critical weakness's are completely negated by Immunities you get for being a vampire. For the best snack when you get to town.... bash a few doors until you get the guards attention. As long as you don't get hit by them you'll never get arrested. Since most guards don't have a magic or silver weapon this is not a problem. But it's always safer to save the game before Popping out for a BITE to eat. An even better way is to attack the door on your boot. In early patches at least guards would come running thinking a crime has been committed. This way your reputation in any province doesn't suffer.

PS: The best looking vampire is a Dark Elf Female.

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Vampiric Holy Item

There appears to be some sort of holy item that can turn one into a vampire if you are carrying it. Below is an excerpt from an e-mail regarding this discovery.

I did a lot of playing around with that game till I found out what had caused my char. to become a vampire. I saved the game right befor leaving the dungen. I had not run into any vampires in that dungen and so I was confused. I had picked up a magical holy item, it was no different looking that any other holy item. I try to keep any magic items that I find. Hopeing for something with heal, open, or icestorm my favorite spells. I droped one item then fasted travled to some city about a week away, when I reached the city I was a vampire. I kept going back to my saved game and repeating with different new items the I had found in that dungeon till I reached the city as a normal dark elf. I repeated the experiment again and came up with the same result, that this holy item had transformed my char. into a vamp.

It is currently unclear whether this is an actual game feature or merely a random bug.