Count Dracula
For the first part, I wanted to distance this write-up from the Marvel
write-up, which is difficult if not impossible to divorce from because
of how ingrained the media portrayal of Dracula is to the character.
It's impossible to sort out the original Dracula from how he has been
featured, from the Bela Lugosi version in 1931, to the Christopher Lee
Hammer films, and even the anime version. The original version, the
supporting characters, and the story set the standard in 'modern'
horror, influence writers from HP Lovecraft to Stephen King. King wrote
Salem's Lot as a deconstructed Dracula in modern times, and indeed Kurt Barlow is in many ways a modern version of the Count.
In
Edwardian England, Dracula was a gothic romance, an invasion novel, and
a pulp all rolled into one. While borrowing elements from the older
Sheridan Lefanu
Carmilla, which many consider Stoker
lifting a great deal from, such as the strong Dutch doctor Van Helsing
(Van Hessilus) and more as seen in the novella
Dracula's Guest. The novel of Dracula influenced the silent film
Nosferatu,
which in turn influenced the 1931 Dracula, and set the stage of the
'Hollywood' vampire. Dracula has the distinction of being the most
filmed fictious character, with well over 200 movies featuring the
character. In media, Dracula also has the distinction of being the lead
character in the longest running villain-centric comic, Marvel's
Tomb of Dracula, as well as being adapted into anime in both
Vampire Hunter D and
Hellsing, as well as one of the earliest Western Comic adaptations into anime with
Tomb of Dracula.
Important Dracula facts:
- Bela Legosi was buried wearing his Dracula cape.
- The Marvel version of Dracula is based visually from a production starring Jack Palance.
- Dracula Guest actually features another vampire, and is more in-line with Carmilla.
- Dracula
has been represented with a heavy to moderate accent, but in the novel
it is clearly stated he spoke perfect english with only a slight
inflection.
This write-up will focus primarily on the
novel version of Dracula with very little influence by other sources, at
least I hope, although I'm probably influenced by my recent viewing of
1992's
Bram Stoker's Dracula Vlad Dracula
F: Rm (30)
A: Rm (30)
S: Rm (30)
E: Am (50)
R: Gd (10)
I: Am (50)
P: Am (50)
Health: 140
Karma: 110
Resources: Rm (30)
Popularity: - 10
Talents:
Amassed
during generations of study and learning, the Dracula from the novel
include several skills not often associated with the later
representations of the character. These skills include:
- Sharp Weapons
- Leadership
- Horsemanship
- Occult Lore
- Alchemy
- Business/Finance
- Athletics
- Multi-Lingual
- Demonology
- Area Knowledge: London
- Area Knowledge: Styrian Mountains
- Military
- Area Knowledge: Eastern Europe
- Cultural
- Crime
Dracula
however is capable of possessing far more skills, as he has existed for
hundreds of years, and kept very current on 'modern' society.
Powers:
Vampire:
Dracula is a vampire, an undead being that requires the lifeblood of
the living to continue to exist. As a vampire, Dracula has many
abilities which compliment his formidable will and various skills.
Dracula is caught between life and death; existing but not living. As
such, Dracula may perform the following:
- Vampirism: Dracula
requires blood to sustain his youthful appearance and fortify his
powers. Dracula must feed constantly to maintain his youth, requiring
1-4 pints of blood every three days to remain youthful. Dracula gains
health by feeding off of an individual in equal exchange, renewing his
youth and vitality. Dracula not only drains health, he drains endurance
ranks, allowing him to renew not only his health but his endurance.
Dracula
can infect another being with vampirism, by reducing their endurance to
half and forcing them to ingest his ‘blood’, essentially replacing
their lost endurance with equivalent of his own lifeblood. The process
requires the consumption of 20 points of health from Dracula to the host
for the process to begin. Once begun, the victim begins the process of
becoming one of the undead over a 7 – 10 day period, with some of the
markings and weaknesses of a vampire. Should the victim perish during
the period, they will become one of the undead between 1 – 3 days of
death, becoming a lesser vampire in the thrall of Dracula. Dracula’s
bite by itself will not transform someone into a vampire, nor does his
preference seem to work on men as seen by the crew of the ship [the
Demeter], who died to the man with none returning as vampires.
- Shapeshifting:
Dracula has the ability to change his shape in a variety of ways,
including into a rat, wolf, bat, owl, and a fine fog-like mist. Dracula
can grow and shrink from his normal size to a particle, capable of
entering or exiting through any crack or crevice. Dracula can reduce his
mass to Sh 0 and gain natural weapons: Bite and Natural weaponry: Claws
(both at strength) while in his animal forms.
- Undead State:
Dracula is wholly immune to damage from normal means, requiring blessed
weapons, holy objects, or the other means to damage a vampire to truly
damage him. Dracula cannot be harmed through physical attacks that are
not magical in nature, suffering no loss of health, stun/slam/stagger
effects, and will not suffer kill results, within acceptable reason. For
the most part, Dracula is considered to have Am (50) resistance to
damage, as well as not having the need to breathe, sleep, or sustain
himself outside of the need for blood.
- Hypnotism: Dracula’s
ability to mesmerize his opponents is phenomenal, even functioning while
incapacitated or ‘asleep’. Dracula can mesmerize and control the
actions of those around him by simply making eye contact, possessing Am
(50) ability to do so. Dracula can plant post-hypnotic commands with a
simple FEAT against the opponent’s Psyche, rather than Intuition.
- Vampiric
Control: Dracula can command and control those individuals who have
either been turned into a vampire or infected by Dracula directly.
Dracula can command those undead with a simple Psyche FEAT, and can
influence the actions of individuals that Dracula has forced to drink
his blood or drained. Dracula is considered to have telepathy equal to
-1cs of his Psyche rank with his victims, and is capable of both reading
their minds and using them in a form of clairvoyance and Claudience as
to activities and such. What Dracula do thralls see and hear, Dracula
sees and hears.
- Weather Control: Dracula can control the weather
with Rm (30) ability, causing massive storms, impenetrable fog banks,
and winds. As seen in the early arrival at the Borgo pass and later
onboard the Demeter, Dracula can easily cause the weather to bend to his
will.
- Necromatic Magic: Although only addressed In Dracula’s Guest
and the early stages of the novel itself, Dracula had learned ancient
mystical arts such as necromancy and alchemy, and it was suggested that
Dracula had used such to become a vampire. While Dracula did not display
such powers overtly, Dracula could be considered proficient in mystical
abilities. Dracula was stated as being a student at Scholomance, the
legendary school in the Hungarian mountains that was run by the Devil.
- Wall
Crawling: Dracula is capable of scaling sheer surfaces ‘Like a spider’,
with Rm (30) ability, often cited by Jonathan Harker as being
reminiscent of a large spider or bat.
Contacts:
Dracula,
despite the potential to having legions of the undead at his beck and
call, is rather limited to who he can call upon for assistance. The
local gypsies that serve Dracula could be called upon, and while abroad
Dracula made use of various agents such as movers, shippers, barristers,
and the like. Despite it all, Dracula has no real contacts or allies.
Limitations:
Despite all of his powers, Dracula is limited in several ways:
- Unholy
Nature: Dracula cannot stand the presence of the relics of divine
faith: crucifixes, holy water, the sacramental host, and other items.
Dracula can be repelled and even driven away from areas which are
sanctified accordingly. Dracula will suffer a -2cs in the presence of
holy objects.
- Rules of the Undead: Dracula is bound by certain
rules that govern his status: First, Dracula cannot cross running water
and can only cross at low tides. Second, Dracula cannot enter a place or
location without being invited (Leading many to speculate it was the
necessity of Jonathan Harker’s visit). Third, Dracula must rest on his
home earth to regain strength, which means he must have large crates of
his home soil with him. If the soil is blessed or sanctified, then it is
unable to be used. Finally, while Dracula can endure sunlight, he is
locked into the form he has taken prior to dawn and cannot shapeshift
until dusk. In addition, if Dracula is at rest, he is completely
incapacitated, and can only truly find rest during the daylight hours.
- Dracula's
Arrogance: Dracula is extraordinarily arrogant, and he's been thrown
off his plans and plots, and often times in the novel that his own
arrogance was his undoing.
