Warm-Blooded Vampire
by Elizabeth McCoy
Called various things, from "warm-bloods" to "nephalim" to "mutant half-breeds," these vampires were never precisely killed to become undead. They are, instead, the product of truly undead vampire parents -- their sires are vampires and their mothers became vampires while pregnant.
On the plus side for these beings, warm-bloods age very slowly -- about half normal rate till adult-hood, and then drop to a rate of approximately 1 year of aging for every 20. (Unfortunately for those caring for this half-breed, this does mean the "Terrible Twos" last two years instead of only one, and puberty is likewise drawn out -- the vampire child may learn more skills normally, but certain brain developments are more age-related, and personality aspects related to those will therefore be endured longer.)
As a further benefit, a half-breed requires much less blood (or death, depending on the sort of vampire; see Barbara Hambly's Those Who Hunt the Night for vampires which must kill to survive). If a regular vampire needs to feed once a night, the half-vampire may survive with one feeding a week. (If the regular sort needs a feeding a week, the half-breed only requires one per month, etc.) However, they must eat normal food instead, just like a regular human. (One vampiric meal will substitute for regular food.)
And finally, they aren't very affected by sunlight -- they sunburn somewhat more quickly than a fair-skinned human (GURPS Albinism rules are useful) and . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: May 2, 2003
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